The World You Live In
by WickedLucy
Summary: Most of the Storybrooke inhabitants are back to the Enchanted Forest, but some of them are not as happy about it as everyone else, and it brings Regina and Emma closer as they help each other deal with their new lives. SwanQueen eventually!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **Once Upon a Time, Storybrooke and any recognizable characters are property of ABC Studios and the Walt Disney Co. No copyright infringement intended.

**A/N: **I started writing this a really long time ago, and, when Snow and Charming suggested, on the show, that Regina was kept locked on Rumple's cell, I was so surprised that it kept me writing more and more, and now I decided to post it before the show steals more ideas from my head! :D Just to give you guys an idea, the whole wraith thing did not happen, so Emma and Snow did not go to Fairy Tale Land before, and Cora never went to Storybrooke either. It is post-curse, obviously, but most thing that happened post-curse on the show did not happen on this story. I have a fairly big portion of this story already written, but it is not finishd yet. Plus, it's an on going progress, so I would love to get your intakes and ideas, as well as your opinions on what is working and what may not be, so that maybe I can accommodate new things into the fic. Hope you enjoy! :) And worry not about how short this is, it is just the prologue, the actual chapters will be much bigger!

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**The World You Live In - Prologue**

_"Emma, you need to come with us," Snow White's voice resonated through her ears, "You have a family and we cannot lose you again. Please."_

_She looked from the city she had come to call home to the vortex, in front of which the pale brunette stood. Snow White. Her mother._

_She was scared. She did not know anything about that world, about its rules and creatures and… magic. She did not _want_ that. But Henry had already made his decision, claiming he always knew he did not belong in Storybrooke anyway. Or anywhere else in that world. With a deep breath and hearing a sigh of relief from Snow, she took a step on her family's direction and said goodbye to the only life she'd ever known._

The blonde woke up with a startle, sitting up in bed and trying to get her bearings. Quickly shoving her thick blanket to one side, her feet found her flip flops and she found herself walking to the big balcony which gave her the perfect view of the kingdom. _Her _kingdom.

It was too early for the sun to be out, so as soon as she looked up, what it felt like a million stars shone their light back at her. She took comfort in the fact that at least the stars seemed exactly the same as they always did. With literally her whole world changing, she needed to cling to those small things or she feared she might go crazy.

She couldn't say she was unhappy. For the past week, ever since they found a way to go back to their world, everybody seemed determined to get things as they were before the curse. New houses were being built, their palace was going through a huge restoration, even though the bedrooms seemed to have been magically fixed even for their first night, and when she looked into anyone else's face, they seemed peaceful. _Everything will be just like before, _they kept saying, a big smile crossing their faces as they did. Thing is, she did not _exist_ before. She had no clue what it meant. And maybe she was having a little bit of trouble trying to figure it out.

Having been alone most of her life, her first instinct was to deal with this on her own, so the thought of waking anyone else did not even cross her mind. She walked through the wide corridors of the palace – places that were slowly becoming more familiar to her – and, after a few wrong turns here and there, found the kitchen and went straight to the coffee machine.

It clearly did not belong there and it clashed with the old fashioned pans and cutlery, but she could have hugged Ruby – or Red, as she was known here – when she showed up at the palace, only a few hours after they had come back, followed by four of the dwarfs carrying the heavy machine that used to be behind the counter at Granny's diner with a ridiculously big red ribbon around it. _So you don't feel homesick,_ were the words she used, causing a thankful smile to spread over Emma's features. She thanked her – because Emma Swan was not a hugger –, not just for the fact that she could still have her morning coffee, but because someone in this place seemed to understand that this would not be as easy on her and it was on them.

Relieved that no one had turned it off for the night, she grabbed some coffee from the accompanying grinder, set everything up and pressed the appropriate button, the hot rich liquid soon pouring into the cup she'd placed there. Her lips were just about to touch the drink when she heard a loud scream. She closed her eyes and sighed. Looking at the heavy wooden door which led from the kitchen to the dungeons, she knew exactly who it belonged to.

She wasn't sure how it happened, but before she knew it, her legs were taking her closer to the source of the sound. The lock on the door opened with a loud thump, and, as soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs, one of the guards stepped in front of her, keeping her from going any further. His eyebrows scrunched up in confusion as he recognised who she was.

"Your Highness, what… what are you doing down here?"

The treatment was so surreal to her that it took a whole minute for Emma's brain to register he was talking to her. Immediately, she corrected her posture and tried to look as confident as she could, fighting to keep the shakiness from her voice as she heard another scream. Not as loud as the last one, but definitely coming from the same person.

"I need to see the prisoner," she finally spoke, with an authority she didn't know she possessed, but came quite handy as the guard made way for her to pass without an argument.

_Who knew these dungeons were so big? _She mumbled to herself when, after five minutes walking, she still hadn't reached her destination. Luckily, it was but one long corridor, so there was no way she could get lost down there.

Finally, she found the cell she was looking for. The very last and the only one that was currently occupied. Inside, tossing and turning in her sleep, was the Evil Queen.


	2. Chapter 1 - The Evil Queen

**Disclaimer: **Once Upon a Time, Storybrooke and any recognizable characters are property of ABC Studios and the Walt Disney Co. No copyright infringement intended.

**A/N: **Thank you so much to those who reviewed, favourited and are following this story. I did not expect that many people to show interest so early into the fic, and it was a wonderful surprise! I hope you stay with me and let me know how I'm doing. Any feedback is welcome!

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**Chapter 1 - The Evil Queen**

She looked at the woman, sweat covering her forehead as she slept a restless sleep on the bed – if it could even be called that – inside the cell. It didn't feel right, and that was why the blonde hadn't dared going down there since they arrived. _But the screams, _she thought. She couldn't just ignore it, even though she wasn't sure what she could do to help, either.

"Regina," she whispered, her cup of coffee still firm on her hand. The last thing she wanted was to startle the other woman. But she would clearly need more than that to pull her out of whatever nightmare she was having.

"Please, mother, don't…" the words came out mumbled, making it difficult for Emma to understand. "HENRY!" This one, though, was unmistakeable.

"Regina, hey," she spoke a bit louder this time, reaching out with her free hand to gently touch the woman's shoulder through the bars.

As soon as she did, another hand flew to hers in fear, and a pair of frightened brown eyes suddenly opened, meeting Emma's and instantly taking a deep breath.

"What are you doing here?" her tone wasn't demanding, it wasn't annoyed either. Her eyes showed nothing but a genuine puzzlement as she shifted her position slightly to face the other woman.

"I was up. You were…" _Screaming? Talking in your sleep? _"Having a nightmare, I think," she decided on a safer answer.

"Oh, so after a week on this forsaken land you decide that you're worried about me having nightmares? How big of you, _Your Highness,_" the title was spoken with such resentment that Emma cringed. She didn't think she would ever get used to it, no matter whose mouth the words came from. It was also obvious that the shock had ceased and Regina was back to her normal self.

"Regina, please, don't do this…" Emma took a deep breath in an attempt to get herself together.

"Do what, dear?" the smug grin on the former queen's face earned a roll of eyes from the blonde.

"Don't act as if it is my fault you're here, don't look at me as if I wanted any of this to begin with, and don't talk as if I didn't care about helping you," the last part was said in a faint whisper, but it did not go unheard by the prisoner, who had a cold smile in her face.

"Please, I do not want or need your help."

"Oh, really?" Emma replied with a grin of her own, "Is that why you still haven't let go of my hand?"

At the realisation, Regina's hand withdrew so quickly that Emma's hit the side of the steel bed at the sudden lack of contact. In an extremely unusual display of vulnerability, Regina blushed. But, being who she was, she recovered quickly enough so that most people wouldn't have noticed. But then again, Emma Swan was hardly like most people.

"Henry is fine," Emma was the first to speak again, deciding on the subject based on what she had heard from the other woman's nightmare. That obviously got Regina's full attention. "More than just fine, really," she continued, slowly sitting down by the cell, "It seems that he's never been happier in his life. Like he is finally where he belongs."

The hint of sadness was not missed by Regina, who now sat by her bed. And she understood. It filled her with such genuine happiness, to know her son had found his place. But the fact that she couldn't find the same fulfilment in this realm – and she could see that Emma was struggling with it too – made that reality more than a little bittersweet.

"He is safe, too," she added as an afterthought, convinced that the woman in front of her needed to hear that. "There are guards all around the palace and he still has so much exploring left to do that he's not even thinking about going outside."

Regina allowed herself a smile at the thought of the boy running around the castle, amazed by the nearly endless corridors and passageways, not to mention the outside grounds. "I imagine this place will keep him entertained for quite a few weeks."

Silence enveloped them just about the time a soft yawn escaped Emma's mouth. She tried to supress it, without success.

"Go to sleep, dear," Regina spoke, sounding quite tired herself. And, because she couldn't resist it, she threw in one last jab, "I'm sure you have a lot of royal duties to attend to over the next days."

Emma simply rolled her eyes, watching the brunette carefully, a little hesitant to get up and go. "Will you…" she took a deep breath, already guessing what sort of answer she would get. But she asked anyway, as she stood up. "Will you be ok?"

The hollow laugh was nothing that the blonde didn't expect. "I couldn't be better," her voice dripped with sarcasm as she gestured to her 'bedroom', turning her back to her visitor.

"Here," Emma held her cup of coffee through the bars, "I just made it, and it doesn't look like either of us will be able to sleep again anyway." Seeing as the brunette raised an eyebrow at the drink, Emma suppressed the urge to roll her eyes once again. "Don't worry, it isn't poisoned," she said with a hint of annoyance. When the woman still hesitated, she added, "I can take a sip before you if you want me to," slowly and with an amused look, she started retrieving the cup, but Regina's hand stopped her on her track.

"Just give me that," she grabbed the cup and brought it closer to her face, her features softening immediately at the scent. "Where could you possibly have gotten this?"

"Ruby was able to smuggle it from Granny's diner," seeing the confused look on the woman's face, she clarified, "not the coffee. The coffee machine. Along with all the beans she could carry."

Regina said nothing, too focused on enjoying the hot beverage to pay much attention. In the back of her mind, though, she did register that she should be thanking the she wolf for it at some point.

"_Now_ I think you will be fine," Emma smiled and turned her back, "I'll see you, Regina."

"Emma!" the woman spoke her name, which was, by itself, something as rare as it could get, and it caused the younger woman to turn back and look at her quizzically. When a smile that felt like the first real one that had graced her features that day – maybe second, the first showed up when Henry was mentioned – she pointed to the coffee and spoke softly. "Thank you."

They both knew she wasn't just referring to the drink.

* * *

It took four days. Four days of walking around the castle, of trying to observe people, see what they were doing, watching Henry as he practiced and ran around with David. Four days until she was back in front of the large door in the kitchen. It was around 5 in the morning, and some people – although she could not fathom why – were already getting up and starting to do whatever it was that fairytale characters did all day. She had woken up an hour ago from an uneven sleep, much like all the previous days, and, once she accepted the fact she wouldn't be getting any more rest, she hesitantly made her way to the kitchen and then the coffee machine, mirroring her actions from a few nights before. This time, though, she made two full cups of coffee before making her way down.

She wasn't sure why she was even going there. It was unlikely that Regina would be even awake at this time – and it wasn't like she would care if she wasn't – but she knew, from Henry, that the brunette was one of those people who woke up before the sun had even risen, and she was tired of walking around and seeing a bunch of people she barely recognized.

Emma approached the cell slowly, careful to not make too much noise in case Regina was, in fact, asleep.

"It astounds me that you ever managed to catch anyone on the run, Ms. Swan. You are not exactly quiet."

"Yeah, well, blame it on these stupid fairy tale land shoes! How do you guys survive in these things?" She replied automatically, before she even looked at the woman, who looked like she hadn't slept much lately herself.

"Those ones are hardly adequate for visiting the prisoners in the dungeons, princess," Regina took a look at the footwear Emma was wearing and was torn between laughing and feeling bad for how unsuited the woman seemed to be to their world. Most of the time she had a hard time believing Emma had actually been born at that very world. At that very _castle_, really.

"Oh, really? So I guess I should take both my coffees and just come back when I have a more appropriate attire, Your Majesty," she did a little courtesy as she rolled her eyes, but did not make a move to go, instead offering one of the cups to Regina, who took it promptly. "So… Henry was not pushing it when he said you used to wake up so early that some days he wasn't even sure you had slept."

"No," she conceded, her mind seemingly far away, "he really wasn't." And, in a matter of seconds, she had the same unamused expression from before. "And, may I ask, what are you doing here again? Should I feel honoured? I must have done something right to have the privilege of receiving royal visits every week now." The sarcasm was evident on every syllable, and it was not lost on Emma.

It was, however, ignored altogether. "Think of it as reward for not trying to kill anyone in more than ten days," she grinned.

"Hardly," Regina replied immediately, but took a sip of her drink. She observed, slightly unnerved, that Emma still had the smile on her face. It was not what she expected, it wasn't the gloating, _ha-ha we won and now you're our prisoner_ smile she thought she would get if one of them ever went to see her.

They drank their coffees in silence, Emma casually leaning against the wall opposite Regina's cell. They weren't looking at each other, nor were they avoiding each other. It was oddly comfortable to just be there.

"Why didn't you?" the blonde suddenly asked, bringing her head up so that their eyes met.

"I may be powerful, dear, but I am still not able to read people's minds. So if you're expecting a proper answer, you may want to ask a proper question," she looked to the side, as if Emma's mere presence was tiresome to her.

Emma, however, was more than used to it. It was actually good, the bickering, the annoyance. In a weird land which didn't seem all that wonderful to her, familiarity was a luxury she did not get too often. "You didn't even try to escape. You didn't try any spells. You didn't try to take any hearts or… or… trick someone into letting you go, or whatever else an all powerful Disney villain would try."

Regina actually chuckled at the expression chosen by her visitor. "Disney villain, Miss Swan? Really?" When Emma merely gave an unapologetic shrug, she took a deep breath and spoke again, "You must know by now that these cells are specifically designed to ward off all magic. A neutralizing spell. My magic does not work in here."

"Oh, come on. That's bullshit and we both know it. Magic or no magic, if you really wanted to, you would have found a way out of here after two days in this place."

"Are you encouraging me to try and escape? You really have a lot to learn if you are to become a _Disney princess_," she smirked at Emma's gigantic roll of eyes. "Besides, if I were to even attempt escaping without magic, it would leave at least half a dozen dead guards and some very injured servants," green eyes still seemed confused at her reasoning, so she admitted, "I don't want Henry to ever witness that sort of thing. It's one thing to read about it in a book, but it's his life now, his world. And I don't want him walking around and hearing whispers about how his mother didn't hesitate to kill people so that she could escape."

"But you didn't. I mean, if anything they say is true, you've never hesitated before."

"I didn't have anything to lose before."

The confession was followed by silence, which was, once again, broken by the blonde. "Do you still want to hurt us?" her voice held no suspicion. Instead, it was filled with genuine curiosity and maybe even a little bit of vulnerability.

"Not all the time," it was the best she could do given the circumstances, "Although I certainly do not appreciate being locked in here like some common criminal as your fair and good parents rule the happy kingdom."

"Can you really blame them, Regina?" the brunette knew right away that it was not an accusation. If anything, Emma's voice seemed tired now. "You were hell bent on killing them for god knows how long, you cast a freaking curse to keep them from being together. I think they're entitled to be a little weary of you."

"If you came all the way down here to throw accusations, you may as well go. Everyone knows what I did, and I am trying not to do any of that again. It doesn't mean I won't. It doesn't mean your mother and I will suddenly become the family we never managed to be. Things are as they are, dear. Too much has happened for things to be any different now," she was clearly resigned to it. It didn't necessarily make her happy, but she had learned long ago that fairytale endings did not apply to people like her.

"They just want to be happy," she sighed, "They're just scared you are going to take it away from them again."

"And how about you, Miss Swan? You are here, talking to me. Aren't you scared?"

"Not really," her reply was immediate, and, seeing that the brunette was not surprised at all, she supressed a small smile, "To me, you're just Regina, you know? I don't know the Evil Queen, I still find it hard to believe it was really you doing those things they talk about. And trust me, you can be scary even without the spells and fireballs," she chuckled to herself, missing the slight upturn of the other woman's lips, "and you're not easy, and you're angry, and you have a lot of reasons for that." At that moment, she was faced with bright brown eyes staring right at hers.

Regina suddenly saw something. Something she hadn't seen in so long that it was almost foreign to her. Understanding. "Where are you getting at?"

"I get it," she answered, simply. "This person you are right now… I get this person. She is actually the closest thing to a real person that I can find in this wacky world we're in. It's all so black and white over here, so most of them can't even see how much more complicated things are." She dared to look at the brunette, and it didn't surprise her to see shock in her expression. It made her uneasy that no one else in their world could see something that was always so clear to her, after all, she had lived in the real world long enough to see it for herself. "Being angry doesn't make you evil, Regina. It just makes you human."


	3. Chapter 2 - The Princess

**Disclaimer: **Once Upon a Time, Storybrooke and any recognizable characters are property of ABC Studios and the Walt Disney Co. No copyright infringement intended.

**A/N: **So I had one review asking if they don't feed Regina even though she's in prison, and I wanted to reply here rather than privately because I have been under the assumption that Regina is being fed and, well, bathes every once in a while, and the fact that Emma brings her coffee or anything else is just to do something nice - surely the guards would not worry about the prisoner having freshly ground coffee every morning; ;) So I hope that makes sense! Secondly, I originally planned this story as a series of little scenes showing the interaction between the two, and, through those interactions, showing the changes in their relationship. It changes a little bit later on, but for now I hope it conveys what it is supposed to. Thank you to everyone who has been reading this, and a special thanks to my beta, who has a great grasp of the characters and keeps me inspired even at the hardest moments. =)

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**Chapter 2 - The Princess**

Emma was not a morning person – another trait she didn't seem to share with anyone on that place. The fairytales always showed the bright mornings and the birds singing, and – God, was that her mother reaching her hand for a bird to land on? – well, it just wasn't her. Sure, the grounds were amazing, and even the animals, and the way they seemed to almost be able to communicate with people, were beautiful, but she still needed her sleep.

However, after she was interrupted by one of the servants with her breakfast, and got a visit from Snow closely followed by another one from Henry, she realized she would not be able to close her eyes again.

It left her restless, the simple fact that she was there. That she did not have a job, that she didn't seem to fit there, or understand these people she used to be so familiar with. The fact that she had already used two out of the twenty batteries she had brought for her camera, and then that would be it. The fact that even Henry was learning how to sword fight, and she was too afraid to even get close to the horses and the knights. That Snow could use the bow like she was freaking Robin Hood, and David was… well… Prince Charming. That she wasn't going to have internet ever again, or drive a car, or eat a bear claw, for crying out loud!

She got out of her room, hoping she wouldn't run into anyone she knew on the way. Soon enough, she had managed to take some food from the kitchen, making sure to grab an apple before going to the place that was starting to become too familiar by now.

"Morning," she said, simply, as if it was a normal thing between them already.

If Regina was startled, she didn't show it. As soon as both women locked eyes, Emma motioned for her to get closer, and offered some of the food. As expected, the bright red fruit was the only thing to catch Regina's attention. "Good morning, Ms Swan," she spoke as she took a bite of the apple. "I assume you found your calling in this world as a prison warden."

Predictably, the last sentence was received with a roll of eyes from the blonde, which only served to make Regina's smirk wider.

"I was bored," Emma shrugged.

"And do I look like the court jester to you?" Regina's tone was just as annoyed as the expression on her face.

Emma's face, though, immediately lit up. "Do we get to have one here? I always thought they were kinda creepy, but I suppose it could be entertaining," with a glint of playfulness and a smirk of her own, she added, "Hey, maybe I should convince the queen and king to make _you_ the jester! I'm sure you would appreciate the fresh air, and seeing someone else other than me."

Regina's glare was so fierce that Emma had to check herself just to make sure she wasn't burning, or freezing, or deteriorating, or whatever else the former Queen was capable of doing with her magic. "Just seeing you is enough, I assure you."

It was meant as an insult, and she was pretty sure she planned on saying 'seeing you is _punishment_ enough', but for some weird reason, the word did not come out when she spoke, and her tone was not half as cold or angry as she wanted it to be. They were silent for a moment, and the brunette could swear she'd seen a hint of a smile on the other woman's face. She quickly dismissed it. It was probably the same damn infuriating smirk from before.

"What are you even doing here? I don't suppose your _mother_ would be too thrilled to have her precious princess walking around the dungeons."

Regina saw Emma grimacing at the words. The blonde was more transparent than she thought. Or maybe Regina was more perceptive. Either way, it made it easy for the former Queen to know which words would get to her the most.

"_Snow_," Emma made sure to emphasize the word, "heard from the guards that I came here last time. She wasn't all that happy, but she gets it."

"So she was just… ok… with her daughter speaking to the Evil Queen from time to time?" she raised her eyebrow, not fully believing it. "Somehow I find that hard to believe."

Emma sighed. "They may be my parents, but that doesn't make me a child. It's not like they can ground me for coming here. Plus, I'm not of much use for anyone up there."

It did not sound pitiful or dramatic. She was simply stating a fact, a truth. Her truth, anyway.

"You were a _Sheriff_, Ms Swan. Being a knight is pretty much running around and fighting, too. Without the paperwork," she said with a hint of a smile, and then added, as an afterthought, "which you never did anyway, so I doubt you'll miss it."

Emma smiled to herself. "You know what? I would gladly do all the paperwork I left stacked on my desk if it meant going back to Storybrooke," she spoke in a quiet voice, almost as if she wasn't sure she should be saying that. She then looked up to gaze at Regina, "I wouldn't even mind you storming into my office and complaining about the lack of an organizational system," the last words were uttered in a poor imitation of the former Mayor's tone.

"I do not sound as…"

"Bitchy?" Emma grinned.

"Annoying," Regina corrected her, and, to both their surprises, they smiled at each other now, both letting themselves be carried briefly by the memories of the town they still considered home. "Anyway," the brunette's voice brought them back to reality, "It's doubtful that I would still be the Mayor by now, so you would be free to keep on doing as much mess as you wanted without having to hear me complaining."

"Come on, and what would I do with myself, just sitting there all day with no one to piss me off?" her smile reached her eyes, right before she frowned once more, "I just wanted things to be like before, you know? Why did I have to break that stupid curse? Things were just fine as they were."

"Finally something we can both agree on." Regina said, "Although I have to warn you not to go around saying things like that. Most people here would not agree that things were _just fine_ before."

"Well…" Emma considered it carefully, "as far as evil curses go, things could have been much worse for them. They did have a nice town, no memories, so it's not like they were suffering. I think, for them, the worst punishment was to _remember_, you know? Once they _knew_ they were cursed, that was when they felt it all," she shook the thought from her mind, wishing she could take it back. Had she actually defended Regina's curse just now? It was just way too hard for her to try and understand what it was like for them, when she hadn't lived it herself. "Hey… did you…" she hesitated for a second, "You remembered everything, didn't you?" From the expression on her face, it was obvious this was the first time she was even considering this.

"What would be the point in creating the curse and not being able to remember I was getting my revenge?" Despite her words, her tone was not satisfied, nor did she sound proud or happy about it.

The blonde stopped, careful not to set the other woman off, "It just seems to me like, out of everyone, you were the one who could have used a fresh start the most. So why not give yourself that? The chance to forget everything that hurt you that bad and just… start again?"

"You don't have a clue about everything that's happened to me," her voice started to rise, but soon deflated, when she realized Emma's tone did not hold one bit of judgement to it. "You just don't know. Let's say that my side of the story is not something Disney would be interested in."

"Well…" Emma bit her lower lip, daring to take one step closer to the cell, "Disney may not be interested, but some people might be, you know?" When Regina squinted her eyes, trying to gather what exactly the blonde meant by that, Emma quickly added, "Like Henry."

Regina's expression was unreadable. If Emma didn't know any better, she would say it seemed disappointed at the last addition. Or maybe it was the mention of the boy's name that made the brunette sad and hopeful at the same time.

"You didn't bring any coffee today," her voice was a bit stronger now, almost authoritary as she quickly turned the conversation to a much safer subject.

The blonde pointed to the general direction of the door, looking between the woman and the way out. With a quick nod, she started making her way to the kitchen, but not before turning to the cell one last time. "I'll be right back."

She was already on her back, so Regina missed the huge grin on her face when the brunette replied, "You better be."

* * *

"I brought you something," Emma got a bit closer to the cell, in what had become some sort of a routine between the two women now. She handed Regina her usual cup of coffee and used the now free hand to reach into her pocket and take a small camera.

Regina took it and, with a confused glance at Emma, brought her focus back to the small device, turning it on before looking back at the blonde. "You want a picture with me?" she smirked, "Because I think all the bars would get in the way, and the light is hardly flattering down here."

"Just… take a look at the pictures, Regina," Emma replied, only half annoyed.

When the brunette pressed the button and took a closer look at the pictures stored there, she couldn't help the tightness in her chest. The first one showed Henry with his sword, learning to fight on the inner courtyard of the palace. The second was one Emma had taken without the boy noticing, while he simply sat and observed as Gepetto and Pinocchio rebuilt their home, with the help of the dwarves. The third was actually earned a chuckle from Regina. It showed Henry dressed in an armour which was clearly too big for him, and trying, with the help of one of the palace guards, to get on one of the horses. The following photo showed him proudly on the beautiful white horse, looking directly to the camera and waving.

"I thought… you would like to see how he's doing, you know, since he can't come down here," Emma said it quietly, still deciding if she should reveal that last bit of information. Finally, she couldn't find a reason not to. "He does ask about you, you know? All the time, now that he knows I come here," she couldn't help smiling as she saw the look of hope on the other woman's face, "He cares about you, too. He's just trying to… to process everything. To blend the notion of the Evil Queen with everything else he knows of you, and trying to make sense out of it all," finally, she looked straight into Regina's eyes and spoke, "And he's not the only one."

"Emma, you know I…" she did start saying something, but couldn't find the words to finish.

"No, I don't," with a frustrated laugh, she got up and started pacing in front of the cell, "I don't know anything. I come here and we talk, and I _know_ you are not that person anymore, but do you even regret it?" once again, she stopped and looked at the woman, wanting more than anything to hang on to every word she said, and believe her. "Would you take it back if you had a chance?"

After a long pause, Regina took a deep breath, the words barely able to escape her mouth. "I… I can't," she started, and then found that she needed to elaborate, "I can't bring myself to regret it, because it gave me Henry. I never would have been his mother if I had never enacted that curse."

Emma's eyes went from angry to startled to understanding in such a short period of time that the blonde herself could barely keep up with all the emotions. So that was it. Regina wouldn't change things even if she could. It should be her answer. It should be enough to make her believe the woman was truly evil. And then the explanation came and it showed exactly the opposite. It wasn't that she hated Snow and her family that much. It was that she loved Henry that much.

"I feel like I should hate you right now. If it wasn't for that curse, I would have grown up with a family. I know I said before that it could have been worse for them, but as for me… things would have been so different." Emma's mouth formed a thin line as she struggled with everything she was trying to make sense of. To her surprise, she saw something she rarely saw across Regina's face. Fear. It became even more palpable as what usually would have entailed a snide remark by the brunette gave way to nothing but silence.

Regina simply looked the other way and, with her face now out of Emma's sight, closed her eyes tightly. "Go ahead, dear," she spoke, no hint of sarcasm or malice in her voice now, "You will finally have something in common with everyone else in this place."

_That is the thing, _Emma thought, and decided on voicing the thought that followed, "Maybe I don't want that," her shoulders dropped as she leaned against the prison bars and allowed her body to slide down so that her back was turned to Regina. She just couldn't face the woman now. "Or maybe I'm just not able to."

Regina still wasn't sure if Emma was talking about hating her or fitting in. Truth be told, she was fairly certain not even the blonde was entirely sure which one she meant. So she remained silent and painfully still. But when she heard a faint sob and looked to see Emma's back shaking slightly, her lips let out a deep breath.

Emma heard movement behind her. She expected Regina would just lie down and ignore her for the rest of the time. What she didn't expect was to feel Regina's back as the woman sat by her side of the cell, mirroring the blonde's position. It was strangely comforting.

After a while, when Emma's hands went to her sides, supporting her on the ground, she didn't expect one of Regina's hands to be so close. There it stayed, beyond the bars, while the other hand remained out of her sight, so Emma knew for sure it wasn't accidental. She softly reached a bit further and touched it with one finger, and, finding no resistance, placed her entire hand on top of the woman's, giving it a gentle, thankful squeeze. She couldn't help but wonder how long ago Regina had reached out to her, without her realizing it.


	4. Chapter 3 - Cora's Daughter

**Disclaimer: **Once Upon a Time, Storybrooke and any recognizable characters are property of ABC Studios and the Walt Disney Co. No copyright infringement intended.

**A/N: **Thank you so much for those of you who have taken your time to review. As a reader of fanfic myself, I usually just upload them into my phone to read them whenever and don't really have the chance to leave reviews as often as I'd like, so for those of you who just follow it and don't have the time or don't feel like reviewing, I just hope you are enjoying the story as well! =) I am sorry this is coming out a bit later than usual, but I've had an eventful week and didn't get around to revising this chapter until today.

Also, I would just like to reply to a review I got and couldn't reply as it was a guest review. It mentioned that Emma, having grown up the way she has, should be more interested in learning how to ride horses or any skills of this world. I agree to a certain point. But my line of thinking in making Emma somewhat rebelious in regards to that comes mostly from the little time she spent in the Enchanted Forest on the show, and her reluctance to go back and live there. Also, I know I never put a time frame on this story, but hopefully it is clear from the way she still can't call Snow White "mom" and the way she is still struggling to accept this new reality, that the curse hasn't been broken for too long. So, for me, the fact that her mind is, in a way, still pretty much in Storybrooke, is reflected by these things she refuses to learn, and even a bit of denial of her situation. In my mind, it is the way she found to maintain her sanity. Starting to take interest and learning things would make everything much more real, and Emma is still not ready for that! I hope that explains a bit about the way she's acting. Oh well, enough rambling, and onto the story because I must've added about 1,000 more characters with this note alone!

* * *

**Chapter 3 - Cora's Daughter**

"Can I ask you something?" Emma watched Regina carefully as the older woman sat by her bed and ate a fresh piece of bread the blonde had just smuggled from the kitchen.

Regina chewed a few more times, then swallowed and finally looked at her companion. "It seems like it's all you do since we started meeting like this." Emma could detect a hint of amusement on her tone, and she was still a little defensive, but nothing like she was a few weeks ago.

She ignored the reply and went straight to her question, sounding a bit quieter than usual. "How long do you think they will keep you locked up?"

This time, the former Queen did not try to hide her surprise at the question. Creasing her eyebrows, she studied the woman in front of her, who now seemed terribly interested in her own hands.

There was silence, and then a sigh. "I mean, they have to let you go eventually, right?" Emma tried once more.

"These things work a little bit differently around here, dear," Regina got up, unsure if she wanted to get closer to the blonde, or turn her back to avoid her gaze. She decided on the former. "And considering the things I did… well, let's just say over here we hang people for far less than that."

She did not miss the way Emma cringed at the last part. "They wouldn't, though… would they?"

A huge sigh of relief escaped the blonde's lips as Regina shook her head. "No. Not your mother. Not with Henry living here too."

Emma nodded, but remained quiet.

"Is everything ok?" Regina's voice was soft and even a bit concerned as she asked the question.

The blonde swallowed hard, trying to hide the fact that her eyes got watery for a moment, and it wasn't until she was sure she had recomposed herself that she dared to look up again. "Yeah. Yeah, it's all good," she did try to sound as cheerful as everyone else on that place, but failed so badly that the Evil Queen herself chuckled, almost feeling bad for the woman. "I just don't want you to stay here forever, that's all."

A breath caught in Regina's throat at how honest the unexpected words sounded. "And why is that?" she asked, and immediately realized that she cared more about the answer than she would like to admit.

"Because you're the only one who gets what it's like to feel out of place in the land that was supposed to be your home," the words came out quickly, almost as if she would lose the nerve to say them if she waited too much. They never broke eye contact, "And it kind of sucks that we have to spend our days in these creepy ass dungeons," she added with a grin, trying to ease the sudden tension that had formed. "I know, I know," she added, mimicking Regina when she spoke the next word, "Language."

The brunette gave an amused chuckle, glad for the sudden change in the mood of the conversation. Still, she couldn't quite grasp what Emma had just said. "You don't _have_ to spend any time here, Miss Swan. I'm sure everyone up there misses you terribly," despite the sting of her words, the blonde did not miss a little bit of hurt in them, too.

"And I am sure these great conversations we have would feel even nicer at the gardens, by the sunlight," she smiled, once again ignoring Regina's bait. "I know you're all about darkness, but some light would do you good, you know?"

"I don't think I'm ready for the light just yet," she continued quietly, "Other people might get burned."

"What, are you scared of being out there?" Emma asked immediately.

Regina shrugged, moving to once again sit by her bed. "Like I said before, I don't want Henry witnessing his mother hurting people. Ever."

"We could keep an eye on you, you know?" Emma leaned her forehead against the bars, resting her head there, "Henry and I. We could be your very own royal guard," she said with a small smile, and Regina laughed earnestly. "Yeah, you laugh now. You haven't seen Henry with a sword, he's getting pretty good at it. And you said it yourself, being the Sheriff and being a knight aren't all that different."

"As much as I would _love _nothing more than to have you, of all people, following me around all the time for the rest of my life, dear," there was more than a hint of sarcasm there, but Emma recognized the tone now as more of amusement than actual annoyance, "I don't think your parents would ever agree to something like that."

"Well," Emma started, and then looked at Regina while biting her lower lip, "You do get my company all the time while you're here anyway, I doubt you would be too annoyed at having it outside. It would be the same, only with more room for you to run away from me," she grinned, purposefully ignoring the part about her parents.

"It does sound tempting," the brunette smiled back. "How are the gardens, anyway?" she surprised Emma and herself by asking the question. When she was younger, right after marrying the king, Regina had always liked walking around the gardens, away from her mother, from Rumplestiltskin, from everyone. Those were the only moments she felt like herself. Snow actually joined her quite a few times, and she was a little taken aback by the warmth that came with the memory of a time before she let herself be consumed by hate and vengeance.

"Snow takes care of it herself," the other woman replied, somewhat carefully, "she said she has some good memories from that place." And that was as far as she was willing to go. She wouldn't tell Regina that she somehow knew that Snow was referring to her when she mentioned such memories, and the person who would walk through the gardens and talk to her when everyone else seemed too busy to do it. The Queen, of course, had never even mentioned Regina's name. But Emma's sixth sense, much like Henry's, seemed to have been calibrated in this world, and worked almost without missing anything. That had somehow made it easier for Emma to know what to say whenever she came to see Regina, when to push and what to ignore. Noticing the woman's face relax visibly, she went on, "I'll take some pictures and show them to you later."

"Thanks," the word still seemed foreign coming from her lips, but it was nice to say it nonetheless, "I'd like that."

* * *

The brunette was asleep when she got there. It looked nothing like the last time Emma had seen Regina sleeping, though. She seemed calm and peaceful, and, as her eyes slowly started to open – probably awakened by the smell of the fresh coffee – Emma could tell she had slept quite well.

"You're turning me into a morning person, you know?" she said the words with a smile, unsure if she considered it to be a good or a bad thing.

Regina was still in the process of getting up, but she chuckled at the words, before following the smell of coffee and taking the mug from her visitor's hands. "I am glad I'm being such a good influence on you."

Emma did not reply. Instead, she studied the woman carefully. "I'm hoping maybe it's a mutual thing?" her voice was unsure, and, seeing the woman's confused expression, she continued, "Just now, you seemed to be sleeping… I don't know, peacefully."

The older woman considered this for a moment, and looked at Emma in thought. She knew the woman had heard something the first time she had been to the dungeons. She hadn't even noticed, but now that the blonde mentioned it, it was true. "The nightmares are gone," she spoke, more surprised than Emma by the realization.

"You look more rested, too," she added.

Regina nodded. She did not have a mirror anywhere near, but she would take Emma's word for it. She did feel better, after all.

"Or maybe you were just going through a really bad coffee withdrawal," she continued, pointing at Regina's mug and grinning, "And I fixed it."

The smile on Regina's lips was so true and held so much affection that Emma was sure she was having hallucinations. "You definitely did."

"So…" she got a little closer, "Is this your way of telling me you like my company?"

"I wouldn't go that far," the brunette spoke immediately, but the playful smirk on her face did little to make the sentence believable, "Let's just say your company is easier to tolerate now."

"Yeah," Emma grinned again, "Let's just say that." And then she took another sip of her coffee.

They both stood there, in companionable silence. Emma had taken a seat in front of the bars so that her left side leaned on them, her legs folded against her chest. Her hand brushed distractively through the cold metal when, inside the cell, Regina sat on the floor too, her position very similar to the blonde's, except that she had her arms wrapped around her legs.

Emma observed the woman. Everything about the image she saw seemed a bit out of character for the Regina she knew. Not just her position, or the fact that they were sitting side by side like this, but there was something else. Something she couldn't point out quite yet.

"My mother… I left her in this world, when I cast the curse," Regina spoke quietly, not able to express exactly what she did to Cora before enacting the curse, Emma remained in silence, still shocked that the woman was opening up this way without her even asking the question. "That's what the nightmares were about," she finally admitted.

"Is she… someone we should be worried about?"

The brunette closed her eyes and chuckled, before nodding quietly. "Trust me, dear, if you think dealing with the Evil Queen is bad, just try and imagine where she came from."

"I don't," Emma said immediately, "I don't think you're bad, I mean."

"I appreciate the sentiment," when Regina spoke this time, it didn't seem condescending or fake as it once did, "It's just… my mother's not a pleasant person."

"Did she ever hurt you?" Emma blurted out the question, without even thinking about it. If Regina was willing to share, she was more than willing to listen. She had never really thought about Regina's family, where she'd come from and what made her the way she was. She did know bits and pieces about Rumple, and the things Snow had told her about Daniel, but other than that, she found she didn't know anything about the woman's past.

Regina did not know why, but the blunt question did not bother her as much as it usually did whenever someone tried to get too close. "Yes." Her voice broke at the word. That was all Emma would get, and yet she knew it was more than enough. She risked a glance at the woman, only to see her looking straight ahead, one single tear falling from her face.

"She's not getting anywhere near Henry," the blonde spoke with a certainty she could not possibly possess, and her confidence grew ever more when she added, "Or you."

Regina's face turned to look at Emma, and she nodded with a sad smile. For some reason, she could not bring herself to tell the blonde the whole story. Not only because she could not admit to have been responsible for one more death, but also because she had an unsettling feeling – no, it was more than that, I was the _knowledge_ – that her mother was still very much alive. She did not know how she knew it, but ever since she had gotten to that castle, it was as if she could feel it.

"Hey," the blonde pushed, her eyes never turning away, "I mean that. She'd have to go through me. And I'm stronger than I look."

This time, the former Queen's smile was more genuine. "Why would you do that?" she asked, and, as she waited for an answer, realized how much it mattered to her.

"I don't know," Emma answered truthfully, "I just know that I would."

When she saw another tear leave the brunette's eye, she did not move for a moment. And then, hesitantly, her hand slid through the bars and she left it there, palm facing up. She did not have to wait long until Regina's hand found hers, both women looking from their joined hands to each other. Emma gave the woman's hand a light squeeze, and brushed it softly with her thumb in what she hoped was a soothing motion.

"I'm sorry," her voice was quiet, her eyes once again focused on their hands.

"It's hardly your fault that my mother is the way she is, Emma."

"No, I didn't mean that," Emma did not stop the movement of her hand, but she did break eye contact for a moment, "I'm sorry you were alone here for so long, with the nightmares."

Regina sighed, and the blonde thought for a moment that she had pushed too far and the woman would retreat again. But she just squeezed Emma's hand a little bit harder. "It's ok. They're gone now." Her voice was still charged with emotion.

"Did I…" there was a trace of vulnerability on Emma's words, even on her expression as she finished the question, "Did I help? Do you feel safe?"

"Sometimes I am not sure I will ever feel completely safe again. And yes." She did not have to elaborate on the last one, and if Emma's smile was anything to go by, she understood.

The moment was interrupted by a loud growl of the blonde's stomach, with caused a small laugh to come from Regina. "It's probably around noon right now. They must be waiting for you, for the royal feast."

Emma stopped and seemed to be deep in thought for a while. Still holding Regina's, she brought their hands up and pointed her finger at her, "You, don't go anywhere." The brunette rolled her eyes at the horrible choice of words and then smiled at the grin she saw. "I'll be back in five minutes."

Slowly, she retrieved her hand and, with one final look at the woman, walked away.

She had promised to be back in five minutes, and yet, Regina was sure she couldn't have taken more than three. Although how Emma managed to smuggle half of the lunch into the dungeons in such a short time she wasn't completely sure.

"Your royal feast, Your Majesty," she laid a red tablecloth right in front of the bars, and then turned to open the bag she was carrying so that she could take an entire roasted duck, some ham, salad – this was Regina, after all –, a small bottle of wine and two glasses, and, lastly, two silver plates with the respective cutlery, each item individually but messily wrapped in whatever cloth or towel that could be found in the kitchen. "I thought you might be missing a real meal."

Not sure what she wanted to say, Regina simply nodded, taking her plate and, a little bit awkwardly but still efficiently enough, helped herself through the bars and started eating. Emma poured the glasses of wine and handed her one. It was red and rich, but not too much, and it went just perfect with the duck.

"What did everyone have to say about that? Someone must have seen you stealing all the food in the kitchen."

"I just told David that I wasn't feeling too well and I would grab something to eat in the kitchen and go to my room. He didn't suspect a thing. Luckily it was him and not Snow," she grinned, fully aware that her father, bless him, was not the sharpest tool in the shed.

The little jab at the king did not fail to amuse Regina, who nodded approvingly with a big smile.

Lunch went smoothly, the two women talking about everything and nothing, and once they were both finished, Emma started placing things back into her bag. "Shall I get us some dessert?"

"Oh, I do hope you're not serious," the grin on Emma's face was enough of an answer. Plus the fact that the blonde did not seem to be making any effort to get up was also pretty telling. In fact, she now found herself sprawled on the floor, facing the precarious ceiling, both her hands acting as a makeshift pillow behind her head.

With a lazy movement from her head, she beckoned Regina into doing the same, but the woman did not move from her position on her own bed. She was lying on her stomach, head by the end nearest to the bars, her elbows supporting it. "No, thank you, dear. This bed is horrible, but it is still better than the floor."

"Come on, keep me company," she pouted, but the woman would not budge. "Fine. You're missing all the intricate patterns of the ceiling, though."

"It's a cave, Miss Sway," the Mayor in her was making an appearance, "there are no patterns, it is just rocks."

"I still like it," Emma whispered, and, after eating more than she had over the last days, she was soon overcome by sleep.


	5. Chapter 4 - The Rebel

**Disclaimer: **Once Upon a Time, Storybrooke and any recognizable characters are property of ABC Studios and the Walt Disney Co. No copyright infringement intended.

**A/N: **So this is the rest of the scene from last chapter. It was probably the biggest scene I wrote so far, so it makes for the entire chapter. As always, thank you so much for reading and reviewing! =) Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 4 - The Rebel**

When Emma opened her eyes, she was not sure how much time had passed.

"Really, I've been trying to see anything special about the top of this horrid cave. I don't know what you saw there," the blonde turned her head to the side to see no one other than the former queen, lying on her mattress which had been taken from the bed, right beside her.

"Comfortable there?" Emma grinned, turning her entire body around to look at the woman. She yawned, and looked at her watch – luckily she had the thing with her when they went through the portal, and, for some reason, it still worked – smiling lazily when she saw the time. Without a care in the world, she stretched as if she had just woken up from a full night of sleep. "I can't believe I slept for an hour and a half! You know what, I take back the whole being a morning person thing. My body is clearly missing the extra sleep." When she was done moving around, she sat herself up and eyed the woman carefully. "Are you ok?"

"I am," Regina kept on looking up as she spoke, "I was just thinking."

"About?"

"Far too many things," she closed her eyes, "I find some distractions sometimes when I'm alone. But it gets harder in a small space such as this one," she admitted.

Emma smiled. "I guess we need to make sure you have something else to think about, then. Or someone to talk to, at least."

"I thought I already did," the words were spoken with a soft tone which Emma was beginning to recognize as the one belonging to the real Regina, when she was calm and relaxed enough to be herself, without worrying about building her walls or keeping people at a distance. She looked more carefully and saw that the woman's expression turn into a small smile, and, in a rare display of shyness that was unlike her, the former Sheriff blushed.

"Can I ask you just one more thing, and then I promise we'll change the subject?" when Regina nodded, she went on, "How likely is it that your mother… drops by for a visit? Should I warn someone about her? Should we leave more guards outside the doors that lead here?"

The brunette shook her head. "Last time I saw her, she was… well, she wouldn't be able to reach me. But after a while I started believing that she might be powerful enough to find ways around that. I don't know if she has or not, but there is always a possibility. As for the guards, don't even bother, dear. If she sets her mind on it, more guards would just mean more people for her to take down before getting what she wants."

The last sentence sent a chill through Emma's spine, and she suddenly found herself fearful that one of these days she might walk down the dungeons and find nothing but an empty cell. She did not want to dwell on how much that thought frightened her. "Doesn't that scare you?"

That was the moment Regina chose to sit up as well, facing the blonde and looking into her eyes. "I did not enact that curse solely to curse your parents, Emma. And I did not resist coming back here just because I didn't want to be in this cell."

"You wanted to be free from her," the blonde whispered, and got the confirmation as soon as she did. "You wanted to be somewhere she wouldn't be able to find you." There was a moment in which neither woman spoke. "No one ever bothered to listen to your side of things, did they? Even before… all this."

"No," her voice cracked once more, "but that doesn't take my own responsibility away."

"Maybe it doesn't," Emma began, "But it helps to understand. And the things you did, they make more sense." After a couple of minutes of silence, she smiled. "Ok, I promised we would change the subject after that, so…" she shrugged, "Rock, paper, scissors?" she grinned.

"Please tell me you're joking," Regina brought her hand to her hair. There was no way she would be caught playing such childish games with another adult – well, someone who _looked_ like an adult, as much as she didn't act like one most of the time.

Emma's hands shot up in a sign of surrender. "Fine, Your Majesty, you don't have to look so horrified about it. Don't you have any books or something?"

"Sorry, dear, I forgot to add 'library privileges' to my reservation when I booked this room."

"Well, lucky for you, you know the right people," the blonde winked at her, to which Regina reacted with an amused shake of her head, "I'll bring some books when I go get our dinner."

The brunette certainly did not expect the words, and could not hide the smile on her face as they were spoken. She quickly recovered, and turned back to a more serious expression, her eyebrows raised, "Bring me something decent, no stupid vampires or werewolves, and none of those silly stories that finish with happily ever after."

"How about ghosts?" Emma grinned. Regina did not dignify that with an answer.

It did not take long until she left for the food and the books, promising she would be back soon enough. As soon as the blonde was out of her sight, Regina let herself lie back down on her mattress. The thoughts that invaded her mind this time were not the bad ones, about her mother or anyone else wanting to hurt her. No, they were thoughts of the person who had been there, day after day, to listen, to try and understand, or simply to keep her company and make sure she was alright. She couldn't help questioning Emma's reasons. Why, with an entire kingdom at her disposal, would she willingly spend her days in the cold dungeons with a prisoner? Why would she wake up early in the morning, when she clearly didn't like that, and bring her coffee every day? She had honestly thought, at some point, that Emma would not hesitate to take Henry away from her and leave without a second thought. When they found a way to open up the portal and the insufferable couple said she could come along if she agreed to be locked up in a cell, she scoffed, saying there was no way in hell she was agreeing to that. And then she looked at Henry, and saw the sadness in his eyes at her tone. More than that, she saw the confusion in them as he tried to fight the sadness, probably trying to convince himself he shouldn't care about her, but not being able to let it go completely. What she saw in his eyes was enough to make her agree. From that moment, she had decided she would be better. She would do anything to prove to her son how much she loved him, even if it meant being stuck in a filthy cell, prisoner of Snow White of all people, not even trying to resist it. The first week had been hell. As they got to the palace, her mind was flooded by memories of her mother and everything the woman had put her through. She could never let that happen to Henry. That was when the nightmares began. She never, ever expected anyone to listen, let alone want to help her. But, of course, Emma had. She had come because of the nightmares, but they weren't the reason she stayed. Either way, Regina was finally beginning to admit how thankful she was for that. It shouldn't surprise her, really. Emma Swan was the saviour, after all.

She shook her head and tried to listen to the sounds around her, now certain that the blonde had been away for quite a while. A weird feeling settled in her stomach – she was worried.

It took a few more long minutes until she smelled the food before anything else. And then she heard the unmistakeable voice, although it did seem to have a bit of an edge to it.

"Honestly, sometimes I think you're the lucky one," Emma came and dropped the bag on top of the same cloth she'd used before, when they had lunch. "At least you don't have to deal with them," she went on as she kneeled to organize their food.

Seeing the woman's distressed expression, Regina got closer and reached her arm – luckily, Emma was close enough – to touch the blonde's, causing her to stop for a moment and look at her. "What happened?"

She did stop at the unexpected touch, and took a deep breath before sitting on her legs. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "And I'm sorry I took so long, but I ran into David on my way out of the library, and then he went on and on about hearing it from the guards that I was here all along, and he doesn't trust you and doesn't want me coming here."

"Not that I like your father, but you said it yourself, dear, he has reasons not to trust me. Good ones," Regina tried to calm her down.

"He wants me to stay with them," she said, shaking her head, "He said I should be at least trying to learn how things work around here, and start getting ready because some day… well, some day it will be me sitting on that damn throne."

"Trust me, Emma, when that day comes, you will want to be ready. It will be much easier if you know what you're doing."

"But I don't care about any of that!" she raised her exasperated voice, "Look at me, Regina! Do I look like a queen to you?"

"You already saved them all. You already broke the curse and helped find a way to bring them all back. It will be enough for a while, and then… well, by then you will have learned."

"But that's the thing…" Emma brought her hands to her hair, brushing them to the back of her head, "I didn't do any of that, did I? I broke the curse by accident, and the portal… I didn't even do anything. Everyone else was looking for a way and I just went along, I didn't even _want_ to come back." When Regina raised an eyebrow, clearly not sharing Emma's views on the facts and how they happened, she decided she did not want to hear anything about this anymore. "You know what? Let's just eat. They may drive me crazy up there, but boy, do they know how to cook," she tried a small smile, and it did not come out as forced as she expected it to be.

They did not talk much this time, Regina seemed to be deep in thought and Emma did not know what to say after her little outburst. Once she was finished, though, the blonde remembered something and took the books from another bag, silently handing them over to the other woman, one by one so that they fit through the bars.

Regina examined them carefully, not giving away any emotion while Emma bit her lower lip, waiting for any indication of whether she got the right ones.

"The literature in this world is not like ours, is it?"

"I would say it's quite limited in comparison, yes," Regina spoke, still browsing through around ten different books, some talking about magic or other worlds, some of stories from old realms, legends from the ancient times.

"I was kinda hoping to find some Harry Potter books in there until I remembered he is probably walking around this world somewhere and..." at that point, Emma's eyes widened comically and Regina couldn't help smirking, waiting for the rest, "Wait a second. Please tell me Hogwarts is real! Oh, please, cause that would be so so awesome!"

The huge roll of Regina's eyes was enough of an answer for Emma, who deflated visibly after that.

"Sorry to disappoint, dear," Regina chuckled softly, "and thank you for these," she pointed out the books on her hands, "It's a nice selection, I'm sure they will keep me distracted for a while."

"And I'll keep bringing different ones once you're done," Emma assured her, once again starting to put things away when they both finished their meal.

"Problem?" Regina asked, noticing the way Emma kept on looking at the direction of the entrance a bit distraught.

She quickly shook her head. "No, I just… I keep thinking someone is going to burst through the door and drag me out of here." Regina stiffened at that, immediately thinking about Cora, "I'm surprised they haven't, really. He seemed so determined to keep me out of here."

And then she understood this was about David, mostly, and relaxed a bit more. "If he talked to Snow about it, she probably put some sense into his head and told him to leave you be for a while. I wouldn't worry too much."

The blonde's head turned back to Regina quickly at the mention of her mother in a phrase that did not involve revenge or stupidity. "You know her really well, don't you?" she was not sure where the question had come from, or to what purpose she had said it out loud, but now that it was uttered, she found she wanted to know about these things. She wanted to get to know both of them from each other's perspective, from a time before everything got so messed up.

"I watched her growing up," the words held bitterness in them, but also something else Emma still couldn't grasp. "And then I made her life a living hell," she continued, emotionless, "When you spend that much time focusing on someone else's life, in one way or another, you get to know them well enough."

"I can't really see her as this spoiled little princess," Emma mused.

"Oh, she was," Regina laughed, "Spoiled, I mean. She was royalty, after all. She always got everything she wanted. Including a stepmother," there it was again, the bitterness and that something else. And then, letting out a deep breath, she admitted, "But she wasn't a bad kid. She never mistreated any of the servants, or avoided people outside the castle walls. It's just that… when you spend your whole life surrounded by only good things, you become blind to the evil in the world. You think everyone always has the best intentions and happiness is a given, that it will just come to you naturally."

"And when all you see is darkness, you stop believing in true love and true happiness altogether," Emma whispered, and Regina honestly couldn't tell if she was referring to the former queen's life or her own. Either way, it became painfully obvious that they understood each other in a way that Snow would probably never understand either of them.

Without much thought, Emma reached inside the cell and grabbed the first book she could get her hands on, deciding she needed a distraction almost as much as Regina. The brunette decided to do the same.

"This is boring," she threw the book back inside after a few minutes and tried to find another one, "It's like History class."

"It's the History and legends of the world you live in right now, you might want to get acquainted to it."

"How many times have I told you I don't care about this?" she grunted, right about the time another book flew on her direction. She took it and examined. "The Northern Realms – a study of Helena the Mindless and how she destroyed an empire," Emma read it out loud and looked back at Regina with a murderous expression.

The woman simply smirked at her reaction and shrugged. "What? I thought you would need a role model for when you rule these lands."

"Gee, it makes me feel so much better that you have so much faith in me."

"It's not that hard, dear. If your father can do it, anyone else can, really."

They both laughed easily now. "He's not _that_ bad, you know?" Emma tried, but as she saw the lifted eyebrows of the other woman, she gave up and opened her stupid book, deciding to give it a chance.

It didn't take long until she started yawning.

"It's a story of a crazy queen who married four different guys and had even crazier children, how can you be that bored already?" Regina looked from her own book, shaking her head with an amused smile.

"I'm not. I'm just sleepy," the last word came with yet another yawn. "What time is it, anyway?" Looking at her watch, she almost jumped as she realized the day was already ending. "Shit, it's almost 10, no wonder I'm so tired."

Regina's face fell then. She knew she did not want the blonde to go. Her presence there was so natural now that it seemed wrong when she wasn't around. But then she figured this must be what everyone else – including Henry – felt when she wasn't anywhere to be found, either. "Maybe you should get some sleep," she spoke softly.

"I probably should," Emma replied. She placed the book back within Regina's reach and grabbed the bags she had brought with her. "Good night, Regina."

She looked the other way, not wanting the blonde to see her suddenly becoming so emotional, "Good night, Emma."

"I'll be back tomorrow with breakfast," she smiled, trying her best to change the suddenly heaviness around them.

Regina had a sad smile when she looked back at Emma with a nod, and the blonde walked away. Regina then let out a sigh and dropped back in her mattress, not bothering to drag it back to the bed.

"You know what?" Regina almost jumped at the unexpected voice, and looked to the side to find the blonde standing in front of her, taking the tablecloth and spreading it on the floor. She then proceeded to arrange her bag as something close to a pillow and lied down, her arms crossed in front of her chest. "I'd rather stay here, if that's ok," she glanced at Regina, who was still trying to understand what had just happened, and nodded quickly when the woman smiled at her. It was becoming more and more common, and Emma found that she liked that. It was nothing like the fake politician smiles she used to get from the woman back home, the menacing ones. These were simple and true, the kind she had only seen before whenever Regina was close to Henry.

The blonde then turned to her side and curled in a ball, trying her best to remain warm. She hadn't realized how cold it already was. When she failed to cover herself with half of the tablecloth while still lying on the other half, she started to get frustrated.

"It's not that I don't want you to stay," Regina's voice made her stop, "But you do have a perfectly comfortable bed in your room. Is this really worth it just so you don't run into your parents tonight?" her voice was soft and light, a hint of a smile appearing on her lips.

"Yes," Emma, ever the stubborn, replied with ease, "Plus, I like here better anyway."

Their eyes met, and it was familiar and comfortable. "Here," Regina uncovered herself and managed to squeeze the blanket through the bars, handing them over to Emma, "I would hate it if you froze to death because you are too stubborn to sleep in your own bed."

"No, come on," she tried, unsuccessfully, to give the blanket back, "You shouldn't be cold because I am too stubborn to sleep in my own bed!"

"I'm more used to this dreadful place than you, I am sure I will survive," she was also turned to the side, the same position as Emma's, and watched, satisfied, as the woman covered herself and gave a content sigh. "Good night now, Emma."

"Good night," she closed her eyes, Regina regarding her carefully. She finally started to believe the blonde when she said she wasn't going anywhere. With the thought in mind, she fell into a peaceful slumber.


	6. Chapter 5 - The Wicked Witch

**Disclaimer: **Once Upon a Time, Storybrooke and any recognizable characters are property of ABC Studios and the Walt Disney Co. No copyright infringement intended.

**A/N: **I am so terribly sorry for the lack of an update last week! I was not in the best of moods and couldn't bring myself to reread all I'd written and get it ready to post, and since I really care about this story, I didn't want to do it half-heartedly, or rush into things. And then, this morning when I went to take a look into the story and make the cut for this chapter, I realized I needed an extra scene, so I got to writing it and finished it just now. It's the whole last one, so I hope it was good. I would like to give a shout out to one of my top reviewers, **Draven260**, for encouraging me to write more and better, and for being so patient even after I'd promised weekly updates! Thanks for understanding! And also, as always, I need to thank my beta, who puts up with me even when I'm in the worst of moods!

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**Chapter 5 - The Wicked Witch**

Regina had grown accustomed to the sound of Emma's footsteps walking towards her cell almost every day now. More than that, she had grown fond of them, the sound announcing a promise of – and she never thought she'd say that in a million years – good conversation and a not entirely unpleasant company, either.

That was why she was a bit startled when she heard the sound of not only one, but two sets of footsteps going her way. What was even stranger was the identity of the second person.

"Snow," she acknowledged the other brunette, whose hair had already grown during their time back there. Not too much, but enough to remind Regina of the woman's true identity.

"Regina," she answered, politely, and then seemed unsure of what else to do.

Emma just stood in the back, looking between the two as if supervising the visit.

"I trust that everything is well? And everyone is ok?" Regina's tone was uncertain, and, when she looked at Emma, the blonde immediately noticed her apprehension.

"He's great," the blonde smiled, speaking about the only person she knew Regina cared about in that place.

"And you?" for a moment, the older woman ignored the other's presence, focusing only on Emma and relaxing once she got a confirmation with a slight nod.

The concern did not go unnoticed by Snow. She knew Regina better than the woman gave her credit for, which was how she could tell the concern was genuine. It puzzled her. She knew Emma had been going down there to see the former Mayor, and that it was happening more often each week. She could see how much calmer her daughter always was when she returned from the dungeons. For the past days, though, the blonde had become restless, and it only took a few questions until she understood why.

"No one's going to hurt you. You know that, right?" the words came out too quickly, almost rehearsed, not because they seemed fake, but because Snow seemed that nervous about speaking to her.

A look of comprehension flashed through Regina's features, and she nodded, her stance as regal as ever despite the fact that she was a prisoner, "I do."

"Good," Snow started walking around in front of the bars, "Good," she repeated, "because I don't want you to think this is some kind of revenge, it's not. We're just…"

"Just making sure everyone else can get their happily ever after," the older brunette spat, not making any effort to hide the anger in her voice.

"We gave you so many chances, Regina," Snow whispered, shaking her head slightly, "I believed in you, and you proved me wrong so many times."

"Oh, poor little Snow, always hoping for the best, always wanting to _believe_ everyone is as fair and good as she is," she mocked, and, suddenly tired of their games, went back to her bed, where she lied down, facing the ceiling, "You took it away from me," the words held the same venom as before, "You took my one chance at a happy ending, and there is nothing you can do to change this."

Emma watched the scene before her with interest. It was the first time she was seeing the women truly interacting, as their true selves, talking about their past, and, even though it was unsettling, it also made a lot of things clearer to her. It made it easier to see where both of them were coming from, with their distrust of one another. It made it simpler to understand Snow's reasons for keeping her there, and Regina's reasons for wanting anything but to be around her.

"Emma believes in you, too."

_Shit! _At the sound of her name, the blonde suddenly became more aware, half expecting Regina to lunge herself at them, to yell at them to go away.

Still not moving from her position in bed, Regina spoke again, her tone completely neutral now, devoid of the hatred it once held, "Emma is different."

"Yes," Regina missed the small smile on the woman's lips as she said the words, and started to walk away after looking at her daughter with a nod, "Yes, I suppose she is."

* * *

"That went well," Emma approached the cell in a lazy motion, moving her fingers through the bars as she walked from one side to another. "So, I'm different, huh?" she couldn't help grinning when she heard a grunt from the other woman.

"Oh, do shut up! I only meant that you at least don't expect me to go around this castle singing happy songs and loving everyone like your mother does."

"There's an interesting image," she finally sat by the cell, facing the bed and distracting herself by making drawings on the dirty floor until Regina finally moved to get up and sit at the end of the bed closest to Emma.

"You're not like her," she explained further, even without being asked to, her voice slowly going back to the more relaxed, softer tone Emma had become used to, "You know some people are too broken to be able to heal completely, to be able to be happy and good all the time."

Emma shrugged, trying to hide how much the words had affected her, "Most people are. And if that was enough reason to keep them locked up, I would be right in there with you."

"You've never killed anyone."

"That doesn't mean I've never hurt anyone. That I've never done anything to harm anyone. Or that I talk to the freaking birds every morning."

Regina chuckled at that last part. It felt good to be able to do that. "She still does that, then."

"Oh yeah."

Their eyes met, and they smiled.

After a moment of silence, Emma bit her lips, "If I kill the next person who calls me a princess," she seemed deep in thought, focusing again on the abstract patterns she had been drawing on the floor, "Do you think they'll lock me up here, too?"

"What happened to the gardens and the sunlight, _princess_?" Regina asked, her tone now carefree and holding a smile.

"Be careful, your majesty, I am not as good and kind as my mother, remember?" she smirked, "Plus, it's not fair, it would be no fun being here without the company, so you know I wouldn't kill you."

"I am honoured," Regina rolled her eyes, "Now if your highness would be so kind as to get us some breakfast. I think my stomach has already recovered from Snow White's visit."

Taking a bow and earning a smile for it, Emma walked away with the promise of fresh coffee and pastries when she returned.

* * *

"I saw some of the fairies doing magic today," Emma started tentatively, after bringing their breakfast, "just now, really."

"And why would I be interested in what those sparkling little insects do, exactly?" Regina sneered.

Emma's shoulders shook in a small shrug. "It's not them. It's just that, it was different than what I was used to, that's all."

"Me and Rumple?" the brunette asked, but there was hardly a reason for such. She understood what Emma meant. The blonde had seen plenty of magic since the curse broke, but it was mostly Regina's revengeful, or Rumplestiltskin's fearful one. Most of the time, it was one against the other. "Yes, I suppose light magic can be quite different. But now that Rumple is not here and I am stuck in this cell, I am sure it is the only kind of magic you will witness, so you'll get used to it soon enough." When all she got was a mumbled 'yes, I suppose' from the younger woman, Regina's eyes focused on her expression. "Why does that worry you?"

Emma walked around, silently kicking the dirt from the floor and not entirely sure of what to say. "They were casting defensive spells. But it's hard to give them any credit when there's glitter coming out of their wands all the time. I don't know, I guess I'm just afraid they're not powerful enough to protect us, and protect themselves, if anything happens."

"They are," Regina assured her, "I don't know, I don't really understand how things work for them, but it seems to me that they just choose not to tap into all their magic. Blue, especially, is one of the most powerful magical beings there is. The main difference between us is that they protect nature, and that means, mostly, protecting the balance of things. They _can_ do a lot of things, but sometimes they _won't_, because they know it would cross a line. When dark magic is involved," she gave a heavy sigh, "most of the time we don't really care about these things. About the consequences."

"And that makes you more powerful?"

"No," she assured Emma, "at most, it makes us more dangerous. But also careless sometimes."

"How do you even know all of that? I thought you didn't know anything about light magic."

Regina took some time to consider the question, pondering whether not she was willing to share, and how much. "I never wanted to do any magic," she started with an admission that truly surprised Emma. "I always hated it, I hated the way my mother used it to control me, to take away my freedom. I just wanted to stay as far away from it as I could."

"I assumed your mother was the one who taught you," Emma spoke quietly, choosing to lean on the bars, close to where Regina's bed was.

The brunette looked up at her, from her seated position, a sad expression on her face as she shook her head. "My mother _showed_ me what magic could do, because she used it all the time, it was like she could not go without it. One day before my wedding to the king, I was desperate. I had lost Daniel not long ago, and suddenly my thoughts were… there was so much anger, and I felt it, all the time. I had these visions in which I hurt Snow, and it terrified me. Don't get me wrong, I _was_ indeed angry at her, but she was a little girl, I wouldn't be able to hurt her like that. But I wanted to, and it was as if my mother's magic was feeding on that anger, and turning it into something much darker. She was poisoning my thoughts, and I needed to stay away from her. That was when my father told me about the book my mother kept, the one she had gotten from her teacher."

"Rumplestiltskin?" the voice was so quiet that Regina barely heard it, but she nodded anyway. Her eyes met Emma's, and she was taken aback by the woman's expression. There was sadness and sorrow there, sadness for her. She did not see any pity, though, no. It was more like understanding. The first time someone truly seemed to care enough to hear her side of things, and the blonde was hanging on every word.

So she talked. She explained about the book, and how she had come to meet Rumple, how she begged for him to help her, and how she ended up sending her mother to Wonderland. She talked about wanting to be free, but falling into Rumple's promises of great power, because she believed she could use magic to bring Daniel back.

"It turns out, there are things not even magic can do," she whispered, and Emma noticed how hard she was fighting to keep herself together. "When he said that, I figured there had to be a way, so I looked into some books, and I tried to learn by myself, looking into other kinds of magic. One of our first lessons was on how to take someone's heart out, so I knew. I knew how dark and twisted his magic was, so I figured maybe he only knew how to hurt. But it didn't matter if it was light or dark, there didn't seem to be a way. Until I met Jefferson, and he told me about this… this kind of wizard from another world, who did something other than magic. Something he claimed was even more powerful."

"A wizard? Another world? As in Oz?" Regina actually found it in herself to smile at the way Emma's eyes sparkled and she was once again in wonder of this new world she had discovered quite a while ago, but that never ceased to impress her.

"No dear, this was someone else," much like when she mentioned Harry Potter, the younger woman's smile turned into a frown, "But Oz is real. So is the so-called wizard, who is nothing more than a Neanderthal, if you ask me, and the witches. Although their story, much like the ones from our world, have been… adjusted a little bit."

Emma beamed at the new piece of information, making a mental note to ask about that again at a more appropriate time. She was also glad to notice Regina's smile grow when she noticed how happy her words had made Emma.

"So," the blonde was hesitant to go back to their current topic of conversation, but, at the same time, she found she wanted to know everything she could from Regina's past. It was incredible, how the entire story of her life had been reduced to a few sentences, a side note on Snow White's book. Or even to a single title: the Evil Queen. It still did not make any of it right: the curse, the people Regina had hurt and killed, the plots. But, in a moment of weakness, Emma had to wonder if she wouldn't have done the exact same thing, made the same choices as the woman in front of her. She was sure her mother wouldn't. But she was nothing like her mother when it came to that. In fact, the more she heard the story, the more she was finding she could relate to Regina and what had driven her to make the choices she had. "Who was this guy?"

"Dr. Frankenstein."

"Frankenstein, are you kidding me right now? As in the guy who made the zombie thing out of his brother? _That's_ the guy they got to help you?"

"Like I said, I was desperate. But anyway, it did not work," she lowered her head, and suddenly it was like she was back to that moment. The hope she felt, that she would be able to hear Daniel's voice again, to see him smile, to be with him, only to have it crushed when the doctor left the tent and informed her that the experiment had not worked. And, just like that, on that moment it felt as if she had lost him all over again. "After that, nothing mattered anymore. The hope of having Daniel back was the only thing keeping me from giving into that rage inside of me, and when it was gone, so was I. I went back to Rumple, I took a heart without flinching, I crushed it, and I never stopped. I couldn't stop."

"Until Henry came," Emma whispered, almost afraid to break the silence that had suddenly fallen upon them. She knew Regina had never spoken about any of this to anyone before, probably because no one ever bothered to ask. She knew how hard it was, just by looking at the other woman, and she hoped the mention of their son would somehow make it easier.

"No, dear," Regina took a deep breath, closing her eyes and keeping them that way as she went on, "I loved Henry from the moment I first held him. I would never do anything to hurt him in any way, but I was still the same. Even when he asked me to stop, it was so natural to me, to do certain things, that I had to keep reminding myself that I couldn't do it, that I had to be good, for him. In a lot of ways, that is still who I am. I cannot look at Snow without blaming her, I cannot look at David without wanting to punch him in the nose," she finally opened her eyes and faced the woman again, "I am not proud of this anymore, but I can still reach out and take someone's heart without regret."

"But you won't," Emma smiled. "You said it yourself, you refused to escape this place because you would have to hurt people – people you don't even know, by the way. Don't you see it, Regina? You are thinking of the consequences, and there are lines you are not willing to cross anymore. Lately, your magic seems closer to the fairies' light than to Rumple's darkness."

"Emma, you heard my side of things, and I am grateful for that. You seem to understand in a way few people would," her voice was sweet, but it soon changed, "but if you compare me to a fairy ever again, I will be forced to turn you into a bug and step on you the first chance I have."

The blonde laughed, and it did not take long until a smile graced the other woman's lips as well. "Really? You would prefer to be called a wicked witch than a fairy?"

"As I already told you, Miss Swan, the witches of Oz have a much more complicated story than you might want to believe. But between Elphaba and Nova, yes, I would gladly be known as the wicked witch rather than those flying pests."

"Fair enough," the air seemed much lighter now, and they were both thankful for it. "For what it's worth," Emma sat down and, now much closer to the woman, looked right into her eyes and gave her a reassuring smile, "To me, you're still just Regina."

"Good," brown eyes never broke contact with green ones, "That's all I ever wanted to be."


	7. Chapter 6 - The Sorceress

**Disclaimer: **Once Upon a Time, Storybrooke and any recognizable characters are property of ABC Studios and the Walt Disney Co. No copyright infringement intended.

**A/N: **Hey you guys! This time I actually managed to publish this thing before the deadline that I gave myself! :D This is the part where the story starts to take a new direction, in a way. But don't worry, there's still plenty of SQ moments to go around! Hope you enjoy it and, as always, let me know if you approve of this, if you love it, hate it, think I should do something differently, anything! All input is appreciated. Thank you so much for everyone reading, reviewing, following and favouriting! You guys rock. And last but definitely not least, thanks to** my beta**, for being you and for knowing me so well and for the constant inspiration. You're the best and you better not forget that.

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**Chapter 6 - The Sorceress**

Emma stormed inside the dungeons, startling the guards as she did so. "Your Highness, your father said you weren't allowed…" one of them tried, but the blonde all but pushed him out of her way.

"You let me inside right now, or so help me…" As soon as she spoke, a bright ball of light blue energy formed above her hand, making the man step back in fear. She took the chance and ran past him, throwing another glance that dared him to try and follow.

By the time she got to Regina's cell, she was blushing slightly from the quick run. "What happened?" The older woman tried to keep the worry from her voice, but it managed to seep through regardless.

"What happened? I'll tell you what happened," she paced back and forth, and, as her frustration grew stronger, the ball of energy appeared, once again. "Oh well, guess I'll show it instead." With a huff, she motioned her hand to the opposite wall, causing the energy to be thrown against it and dissipate it, leaving a scorching mark on the rocks.

Regina would have found Emma's reaction funny, but the woman was so distressed that she kept her expression serious and tried on a soothing tone instead. If Emma was indeed as powerful as she had always suspected, it would do no good to have her throwing magic around whenever she was upset. "It? You mean, your magic?"

Emma took a step back as soon as she heard it. "_My _magic?" she laughed, "What are you talking about? I don't have any magic! I don't know how this happened, but it is not mine. You can take it if you want it," uncharacteristically, she put both her hands through the bars, as if offering it to the other woman. "I don't. I _can't_. I just want it to go away. Please, you have to know a way to just take it," she pleaded, tears threatening to fall from her eyes as her hands fell on the sides of her body, and the same light blue colour appeared, only this time in the form of a mist.

Regina walked closer, placing both her hands on the bars. "Emma," she had never used such a soft tone with her before, so that got her attention, and their eyes locked. "Just look at me, and breathe, ok? If you fear it, if you hate it, it would be harder to control it."

"But I don't want to _control_ it, I want to get rid of it."

"Close your eyes," the brunette whispered, and, hesitantly, Emma did as she was told. "I know it's hard right now, but you need to relax. Take a deep breath, stop thinking about it."

"But what if something happens…"

"I won't let it," her words were certain, leaving no room for doubt. She was hoping that Emma would not focus on the fact that the cell was magic proof and she wouldn't be able to do magic of her own. "Just breathe in, good, and now out. Think of something that makes you calm. Or happy. Think of Storybrooke. Granny's hot chocolate with cinnamon, or your desk full with paperwork," the older woman had no idea where this was coming from, but it became clear it was helping when she saw a tiny smile forming on the blonde's lips, "Or that stupid thing you insisted on calling a car."

"Hey, for your information, my bug was reliable and I happened to love that thing…" she had opened her eyes by now, and midway through her sentence she risked a glance at her hands to realize the mist had disappeared. She did not try to hide how relieved she was. "Is it gone?"

Regina looked away briefly, avoiding eye contact. How was she supposed to explain that it was her own magic, so it wouldn't just be gone that easily, without making the blonde nervous again?

"How did this start?" she asked carefully.

"I was… I was out on the grounds, and Henry was riding one of the horses. Then one of the guards came, yelling that it was his horse. The horse was starting to get nervous, and Henry didn't know what to do. Before I knew it, there was a fireball on my hand and I was aiming at the guard. Regina, I _threw _it at him. I was lucky he had a shield and an armour, because I could have _killed _someone."

There was no response, so Emma went on.

"David was there. He keeps saying you did something to me, but that's just stupid. Then he and Snow told me they didn't want me coming here anymore, so it happened again. That freaking fireball on my hand, and I had to throw it against the wall to make it stop. Just tell me, what's happening?"

She sounded so desperate and out of control that Regina almost reached to take her hands, in an attempt to calm the woman down. That was when the guards approached them. "I am sorry, Your Highness, but we have orders to keep you away from the prisoner."

Growing angrier by the second, Emma lifted her hand up, hoping to convey some authority and make the men back out. Instead, they went flying until they hit the floor. They moaned and were trying to get back on their feet when the blonde ran as fast as she could, managing to grab the prison keys from one of them and, without thinking, she opened Regina's cell.

"What do you think you're doing?" Regina looked, frantic, from the woman's face to the keys which now stood by the open door.

"I need your help. Please," the guards were starting to wake up, so Regina acted on instinct, reaching her hand to Emma's and, to the blonde's surprise, pulling her inside the cell and locking the door back.

"What are you doing?" Emma looked at her incredulously, trying to process what had just happened. The guards had just reached them, trying to get the keys, when Regina moved to the back. "I thought you wanted to get out of here, not to get more people in!"

She had her back turned to the guards, so she did not see as one of them took a very deadly looking bow and arrow, and pointed it straight to Regina's heart. "Release the princess now!" he yelled, the other one running up to get help.

At the menacing sound of his voice, Emma turned to see what exactly was going on. Seeing the scene, she backed out until she stood fully in front of Regina. "Are you _serious_?" she faced the man, not sure if she wanted to laugh or cry right now. Slowly, she reached behind until she found the other woman's trembling hand and, with a light touch, got her to open it so she could get the keys herself. Once she had them, without any resistance, she showed them to the guy, "She did not kidnap me, ok? She is just helping me."

"Emma! Emma!"

She immediately recognized their worried voices. "You have got to be kidding me!" she moaned. "I'm fine!" she yelled, right before no one other than Prince Charming and Snow White stopped dead, trying to understand the scene.

"What the hell happened here?"

The guards, the king and queen, everyone started talking at the same time, until Emma's scream silenced them all. "ENOUGH!" when she was sure she had their attention – and she even risked a glance at Regina, smirking when she saw the surprise on the woman's face. "Look, let's all calm down here, ok? I know, that includes me," she whispered the last part when she heard Regina scoff behind her. "Something's happening, and I can't control it. This… magic, I don't…" she focused on her parents, taking one step closer to them but making sure to not walk too far away from the brunette – the guard still had his weapon aimed at her. "I don't want to hurt anyone. I almost hurt _you_ guys, and it's scaring the hell out of me. I just need to figure this out, ok?"

"But why come to her?" David's voice mirrored his wife's expression, "We have the fairies, they could've helped you deal with…"

"Have you ever seen fairies throwing fireballs at people?" Emma asked and, at the man's expression, nodded, "Yeah, me neither."

Regina, in that moment, understood Emma's fear. She could see it so well because she had been in that place. Knowing the power you hold, but unwilling to accept it, because you have seen, more than enough times, everything that comes with it. When all you see is dark magic all around you, it gets hard to believe any good can come of it.

"You think your magic is evil," Regina whispered with a sigh, moving to sit down on her bed and trying to suppress a smile when her guest instantly followed, always keeping an eye on the guard.

Seeing the glare coming from her daughter, Snow took her hand to the bow, gently ordering its owner to put it down, and noticed, confused, how Emma relaxed after that. The blonde mouthed a 'thank you' before turning back to Regina.

"Well, it is, isn't it?" she lowered her head, playing with her hands and not wanting to face anyone. "It started as a way for me to hurt people, how can it be any good?"

"Magic is magic," Regina explained, again, in the softest voice she could manage, trying to ignore their audience. To her own surprise, she took both Emma's hands on hers in an attempt to calm her down, "there are dark spells, there are the ones that are meant to hurt, but there are also a lot of good ones. How you turn out…" she hesitated then, trying to push the memories from her mind and avoiding Snow more than anyone else. "Well, that is up to you. And whoever is teaching you. It's up to them to show you both sides, to make you understand that you have a choice. And ultimately – and you know that, Emma – it's in the way you decide to use your magic, once you can control it."

"Will you teach me?" Emma's voice was so innocent, almost child-like. The brunette was rendered speechless by the unexpected request.

Unsurprisingly, Charming was the first one to speak. "No way! If you need to learn good magic, Emma, we will take you to Blue, to Nova, they can help you."

"No!" she raised her voice a little now and looked at her father, still keeping her hands locked with Regina's, to then look back down and speak more quietly, "They don't get it." _The way she does._

Emma was stubborn, but so was her father. They couldn't help it, it was in their blood. So she was ready to argue with him until he got too tired to keep repeating the same things. When the voice she heard was not his, but Snow's, and it wasn't addressed to her, but to Regina, she held her breath, not sure of what to expect.

"Regina," it sounded like a request, or maybe a plea. There wasn't any demand on it. When they locked eyes, Snow continued, getting as close to them as she could, "Can you do this? Can you teach Emma to control her magic?"

"I can teach her all about magic," she then looked from Snow back to Emma, "but we all know I am not that good with control, or using it for good," she spoke apologetically.

"So you'll learn, too. You'll teach me, and I'll help you. Please, Regina," when she saw the woman was going to argue, she kept going before it happened, "When I had the fireball in my hands, everyone kept talking to me and trying to calm me down. Nothing worked. But just now, when it happened, you did it, and in a minute it just vanished."

"Emma, it's too much responsibility, to be someone's mentor. And why would you even want me? I learned from the two worst possible teachers."

"Good, you are the expert on what _not_ to do, then. Just do the opposite of everything they did and you'll be great!" When she noticed no one else seemed to find that funny, she turned serious once more, "Look… you get it. I don't know how else to explain it, but you just understand me better. You see the world the same way I do. I know you know what I mean, Regina."

It wasn't so much the fact that she did know that bothered her. No, what troubled Regina the most was the fact that she felt exactly the same way.

She looked at everyone outside the cell, and suddenly felt uncomfortable under their attentive gazes. Emma noticed almost instantly.

"Guys, could you please give us a moment?" Emma asked, getting up to hand them the keys, "You can take those you if makes you feel better, but just… wait until I call you, if that's ok?"

No one looked entirely convinced, but Snow took the keys from her daughter's hand anyway, kissing her knuckles lightly. "We'll be by the door."

It was far enough that no one would hear them talking, but near enough for them to hear if she wanted them to. "Thank you," she smiled, and went back to her previous position, taking Regina's hand in her own again without even thinking about it.

They waited a few more minutes, until they were sure everyone else was far. They looked at their intertwined hands, the gesture suddenly seeming too intimate, but neither pulled away.

"Why did you lock us here, instead of escaping? When I said I wanted to join you, I was only joking, Regina!" Emma broke the silence with the first thing she could think of.

"I thought it was obvious," Regina moved to point out where they were, "Magic doesn't work inside, remember? You won't lose control in here."

"Then you should have locked me, and run away!" She couldn't understand why Regina had given up her freedom – without having to hurt or kill anyone – and chosen to remain there. "I can leave whenever I want, but you can't. That was your chance."

For the first time, the former Queen considered what had really happened. Emma had given her a chance at freedom. Emma didn't believe she would go and hurt her parents, or anyone, for that matter. Emma believed in her that much. "I wish I trusted myself as much as you trust me," she chuckled, one hand gently tapping Emma's, and got up, slowly walking from one side to the other.

"Why wouldn't I?" the blonde did not have a shadow of a doubt on her voice, "I mean… do you still want to hurt us?" she only asked this because she felt it was what Regina meant, even though she didn't believe this for a second.

With a deep breath, Regina shook her head. "Of course not," and then, because she had just realized how her reply could be understood, and she wasn't ready to forgive Snow White and her prince completely, she looked right into Emma's eyes and added, "Well, not all of you."

The blonde smiled. It was more than enough for now. "Even if you do want to hurt them sometimes," she was not about to pretend she didn't know exactly who the woman was referring to, "I still know you wouldn't. Not because of them, maybe, but because of Henry and me. And I think, in some ways, it means even more."

"I still can't teach you, Emma," she stopped and faced the woman, trying desperately to make her see her reasons, "If you end up like me, if you lose control that way, you will lose Henry, you will lose your family. Believe me when I say you will lose everything."

"I'm already losing control, Regina," her voice broke and she blinked back a few tears. "You saw it, and I have no reason to believe it will get any better unless I get some help. Regina, there is a darker side to me, one that Nova or Blue will never understand, and it is manifesting itself in my magic. I can't help it, I'm not all light and good like they seem to think I am. And I'm scared, and I felt it, when you were talking to me before. You get it. You don't give me this bullshit about focusing on good and remembering who I am. They don't accept that the person I am is not only who they want to see, and that she can be a bad person, too."

She had her head between her hands, arms resting on her knees, when she felt the woman sitting beside her again.

"I don't know what else to do," she whispered.

"Ok." Regina sighed.

Emma immediately looked up. "Really?" For the first time that day, she seemed hopeful.

"We will _try_, ok?" she had more to say, but the blonde was already nodding firmly, "We won't do any magic for now. You will come here, something we know you would do anyway," she managed to get a smile from Emma, and was relieved to see it again, "We will talk and I will tell you what you need to know for now. You need to _know_ magic before you start using it. Then we will work on getting you under control, and get you to relax around magic. You need to be calm when you start practicing."

She was more than on board with the plan, and Regina truly seemed to know what she was talking about. But there was still something that bothered her. "What if it happens again? Tonight? Tomorrow? What if I lose control before I learn?"

Regina had a somewhat sad smile now. "You probably will, dear. But you need to remember to calm yourself and remind yourself that you're in control."

"Yeah, well, it's easy when you tell me. But when I'm surrounded by people who drive me insane everyday…" she started fidgeting with her fingers again, avoiding looking right at her new tutor. "I feel safer here," her voice was small and shy, she didn't really want to say the words but felt like she had to. "At least for now."

"Well, in that case," Regina smirked, "Good luck convincing your parents. And we will need another mattress and another blanket, because I am sure you don't want to sleep on the floor again, and I most certainly want to keep warm."

Emma's smile was contagious, "So you're ok with that?"

"On a trial basis. If I get sick of you after half an hour…"

"Feel free to kick me out to the cell next door, Your Majesty," she grinned, and kept looking at the woman sitting next to her, "Thank you. And I'm sorry I'm such a mess."

"I remember what it's like. It can be really scary, and, if you want your magic to be on the lighter side, first thing we need to make sure of is that you feel safe, so that you use it not when you're trapped or angry, but when you're calm and happy."

"I do," her words were slowly becoming stronger, "I do feel safe."


	8. Chapter 7 - The Companion

**Disclaimer: **Once Upon a Time, Storybrooke and any recognizable characters are property of ABC Studios and the Walt Disney Co. No copyright infringement intended.

**A/N: **Once again, thank you to all who are reading, reviewing and following this story. I am glad you seemed to like the way things started to change on the last chapter, and I do hope you keep on enjoying! This chapter is slightly shorter than usual, but it did not make sense to add the next scene to it as it is quite a long one. Thank you to my beta who has been putting up with my awful mood this week and still hasn't told me to go to hell. At least not out loud. I love you for it!

* * *

**Chapter 7 - The Companion**

"Here," Snow approached the two women with two sets of bed sheets, blankets and pillows and placed them on top of the new beds and mattresses which had been previously placed there by the guards. David had not wanted to be a part of this.

The discussion, as Emma suspected, had not been easy, but in the end she managed to show them it was the best decision, for her own sake as well as their own. She could not risk hurting them, or anyone else, again. So she needed the protection the cell provided against magic, at least until she figured out how to control it better.

Snow had then proceeded to arrange for Regina's bed to be replaced by two new ones – and much improved ones, too – that caused Emma to mumble that Regina should have suggested that arrangement much sooner because she could have been sleeping better for weeks now, to which the brunette replied that the bed would turn out to cost more than she was willing to pay. Her tone, though, was light, albeit slightly serious, and the blonde rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Do you…" the younger brunette started, and then looked from her daughter to Regina, "Do either of you need anything else?"

"A nice cup of Ruby's coffee in the morning?" Emma smiled tentatively, and was met with a similar expression on Snow's face.

"I can arrange for that," she spoke quietly, biting her lips. "Emma, are you sure…"

"Yes," her tone did not leave any room for doubts. She walked closer to the woman, with a smile she hoped was reassuring enough, "This is the safest option for everyone right now."

A pair of bright green eyes, much like Emma's own, stared intently at her.

"Regina won't hurt me, you know that," she whispered, hoping the older woman would not hear them. Neither mother nor daughter could quite explain how, but they both recognized the truth behind the words.

So, with a quick nod, Snow hugged her daughter before sending Regina a meaningful look. "Please, take care of her," she pleaded.

Regina, on her turn, nodded almost imperceptibly before turning on her back so that she could take the sheets and make her bed. It had been a long day. When she woke up, she would never imagine she would have a cellmate by the time she went to sleep again. And she would definitely never think that cellmate would be Emma Swan.

They both heard the sound of the lock, and suddenly the queen was not sure of what she should do next. To her own surprise, Regina was the one Snow looked at when she asked. "What do I do with the keys?"

In any other situation, it would be a stupid question, especially to ask the prisoner. But if there was ever an unprecedented circumstance, that was it.

"Take them. Just in case," Regina's reply didn't do much to soothe Snow's worries, but at the same time it showed that this was not just a plot to trick them into releasing her. She was serious about her promise. With a final goodbye and wishing them a good night, the woman left.

* * *

"I can't sleep," Emma mumbled from her side of the cell.

The grunt coming from the other side was not unexpected. "Maybe if you just closed your eyes and stood still for more than 5 seconds, you would be able to."

The blonde rolled her eyes. She was so confident she was being quiet enough while she moved around and tried to find a comfortable position, one that would allow her to relax. But not only had she not been able to relax, she had also managed to wake Regina up. Great. She would not hear the end of it now.

"What is your problem?" the brunette spoke a bit louder when the noise did not stop. "You're thinking so loud I can almost hear you. Missing your own bed, princess?"

She could almost see the damn smirk on the other woman's face just from the tone of her voice. "I'm just a little nervous, that's all," she admitted.

The silence was brief, but its possible meaning did not go unnoticed by Emma. "Don't tell me you chose this moment to start listening to your parents and you suddenly think I would do something."

"What?" her voice did nothing to hide how absurd the notion was to her, "No, of course not. I'm nervous about this magic tutoring thing. Despite what you might believe, not everything revolves around you, Your Majesty," the jab was delivered along with the sound of soft laughter. "I don't think I'm ready," the admission left her lips in a whisper, her tone changing to a more unsteady one.

Silence once more. Regina had been doing this quite a lot lately. Stopping and thinking of the right thing to say to make someone feel better had never been her first instinct when dealing with people. She usually just told them to shut up, or said the first thing that came through her mind – which was hardly ever something that could make the situation better. Regina Mills did not consider anyone else's feelings when uttering her words. Yet she remained silent, for the simple fact that she could not think of something helpful to say.

Eventually, Emma fell into an agitated sleep.

* * *

_"Emma, you need to come with us," again, it was Snow's voice that seemed to be coming from everywhere around her. When she was able to focus her sleepy eyes a little more, she saw her family._

_"But… I don't want to," her voice was hoarse, and she sounded almost like a scared child. "You can't make me go."_

_"Please. Henry is coming," the memory seemed distorted, as if her mind was trying to fit things into it that weren't supposed to be there. Things that never really took place. "Are you really leaving your son behind?"_

_"I said you can't make me," she could feel it within her, the anger, and then something else. The power that came with her magic. It did not take long until the fireball formed on her hand._

_And then, out of nowhere, and before any decision could be made, a mist of dark purple smoke appeared and, from there, Cora emerged. Right next to Henry. It took less than a second for her to grab him, a menacing smile on her lips, and disappear._

She did try not to shuffle and make too much noise, not wanting to wake her cellmate up for the second time that night, but she had a feeling she was already mumbling something even before she regained control of her body. A suspicion that was confirmed soon enough, when she heard shuffling noises coming from the other bed.

"Emma?" she could hear the still sleepy voice, and did not find the irritation she thought she would, "What's wrong?"

She could see, through the faint glow coming from the torches located along the dungeon corridors, that Regina's frame seemed to move. She was sitting up.

"Emma?" she spoke again when there was no answer, and it helped bring Emma back to reality.

"It's nothing, I'm fine," she tried to make it sound believable, but the image of Cora taking Henry away, the image of herself ready to hurt her family made her voice crack. It was enough to make the brunette get out of bed and make her way across the space until she reached Emma's bed. She then sat carefully on the side, facing the other woman, who was now sitting as well.

Regina just looked at her for a moment, barely able to make out her expression but seeing enough to know she was still shaking a little. She sighed heavily. "I shouldn't have told you about my mother."

Emma was startled. "How did you…" she stopped and managed to answer her own question, "I was talking, wasn't I?"

"A little," she conceded, "Enough for me to understand what it was about."

"I can't protect anyone if I'm like this," she whispered, looking at her own hands as if a deadly laser beam could project out of them at any moment.

"No one needs protection for now," she whispered, "Everyone is ok, everyone is safe, you know that. And you will learn soon enough. We have time, so don't worry too much."

"If they need protection before I'm ready…" Emma hesitated and did not go on, but Regina did it for her, after a deep breath.

"_If _anything happens, I will help you. I will protect them, too."

Sensing that it was probably physically painful for Regina to say these words, Emma knew how much they meant. Still, she could not help herself and grinned a little. "You know that when I say _them_, I mean…"

"I know _exactly_ who you mean, Ms Swan," Regina interrupted her, talking through gritted teeth, which earned a quick laugh from the blonde, one that helped her relax and stop thinking about her nightmare.

"Sorry," Emma's grin couldn't hide the fact that she was not sorry at all.

"You are not ready to fight or use any spell on anyone," Regina spoke quietly, remembering the conversation they didn't have before they fell asleep earlier, "But you are ready to start learning," she assured the woman, "If your magic started manifesting now, it means you are ready to learn. But like I said, magic is intimately tied to your emotions. Magic _is_ emotion. So you need to accept that magic, you need to deal with the fact that it is a part of you."

"Does that mean you're my therapist too?" Emma pouted, not making the slightest effort to hide her frustration at the unexpected addition to her course on magic.

Regina scoffed, "Even though you could clearly use some help on that department," she saw Emma rolling her eyes and almost did the same, "I wouldn't subject myself to that even if I was being paid. Which – mind you – I am not."

"Well, you're the closest thing to a therapist that I have around here, though, aren't you? You're the only one I can really talk to about this crap," she fidgeted with her fingers on top of her crossed legs.

A few months ago, there was no way she would be even thinking these words, let alone saying them out loud. It was true that she and Regina had always had some semblance of an understanding – well, maybe not always, but at least ever since the curse broke – maybe because neither had a rush of memories suddenly resurfacing, so they didn't really change. Sure, it had been a shock to learn that Regina was, in fact, THE Evil Queen, and that she had been responsible for the curse itself – and she knew that was only the latest of a long list of what couldn't be categorized as anything other than evil deeds – but still, she couldn't look at her and see someone all that different. The other ones, the change from Mary Margaret to Snow, for example, was visible from every single way you looked at it. The way the woman stood, the way she talked, the natural way in which she led people, and they followed. She wondered why she couldn't have inherited at least one of those traits, but one look at David and it was painfully obvious she was much more like him. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, he was the impulsive one, the one who spoke and acted first and then, if forced to, thought about the consequences. The one thing she certainly did not have in common with either of them, and she was sure it came from the way she spent her childhood and teenage years, was the black and white vision of the world. With Snow, there was still a grey area, having grown up with Regina as her stepmother. But with David it was either one of the other, and that was it. She chuckled at the thought that even though she had found her real family, she had friends and so many people who were willing to be there for her now, and still she had chosen pretty much the _only_ enemy all those people had in that land to become her confidant.

"Yeah, and you sure don't miss a chance to complain about this… crap," the brunette rolled her eyes, and then noticed the look on the other woman's face. It was hard to read, but it seemed almost… hurt. It caused Regina's expression to change immediately to a much softer one, "And yet, you can be a remarkably good listener, too." It had the desired effect and, just like that, Emma was smiling again. Satisfied with herself, Regina got up. "Now, we have a long day tomorrow. Are you alright to go back to sleep?"

Emma imagined that was how the woman talked to Henry when he had a nightmare. Or maybe it was the way she talked to the people she cared about. Or maybe there wasn't a difference between one thought and the other. By the time she nodded, the brunette was already too far to see it. "Good night, Regina," she whispered as if to answer her question.


	9. Chapter 8 - The Product of True Love

**Disclaimer: **Once Upon a Time, Storybrooke and any recognizable characters are property of ABC Studios and the Walt Disney Co. No copyright infringement intended.

**A/N: **Once again, I am sorry for not posting anything last week, but life gets in the way and sometimes it gets a bit harder to keep writing and giving the story the attention it deserves. So I prefer to push back on the deadlines I give myself, but write when I feel like I am more inspired, than just force myself to write anything and risk it not being my best. I hope you'll all understand. Which is why, as from now, I will update every two weeks, and if I go on a writing spree (which I really hope will happen soon enough, it kind of happened this week, so yay!) and manage to get a lot done, I will post every week whenever possible. Either way, thank you so much for reading, following, reviewing and favouriting this. It's great to open my computer and read your lovely reviews. Keep them coming, please! I know this story is a lot of talking and not too much actually happening, but I am a fan of slow build ups, I think it gives any future relationship a pretty solid ground to be built on. Plus, those two _really_ have a lot to say, especially to each other! ;) And thanks to my beta, even though poor thing's so busy that she probably barely even read this chapter. But she's still awesome!

* * *

**Chapter 8 - The Product of True Love**

Regina was, predictably, the first one to open her eyes the next morning. She glanced on Emma's direction to see a mess of blonde hair sprawled on the pillow, the rest of the woman covered by the blankets, and couldn't help a small chuckle. She even slept like a child.

It wasn't until she caught some movement from the corner of her eyes that she even looked to the front of the cell, and when she did, all softness immediately left the woman's features.

The younger woman held one cup of coffee on each hand, clearly uncomfortable, and Regina wondered how long ago she had gotten there.

"You know, Miss Lucas, I do hope this coffee is still hot by the time I get it."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Your Majesty, is the breakfast not up to your standards?" Despite her annoyance, she got a bit closer so that Regina could get the mug, and did not miss the chance to do an exaggerated curtsy at the woman before delivering the drink, which earned a scoff from Regina. Ruby grinned, seemingly satisfied with the reaction.

The older woman sat back onto her bed and took a sip, her face immediately tensing. "Really, dear? After serving me coffee for twenty-eight years, you still don't know that I've always hated too much milk?"

"I'm sorry you're under the impression that I care about that. This is the way _Emma_ likes her coffee, which is the sole reason I am here in the first place, putting up with you."

Regina smirked, "Emma likes it black now."

Despite the clear teasing, Ruby could not help noticing that Regina's tone remained almost a whisper, almost careful not to wake her cellmate up. That small realization kept her from replying to the remark the way she had previously intended to. Instead, she simply turned her head on Emma's direction. "Should we wake her up?"

"Don't," the smallest hint of softness was back to the former Mayor's voice, but it was gone just as suddenly, "The sooner she wakes up, the longer I have to listen to her."

"I can't believe she would choose to stay here," the younger woman mused, more to herself than to the other brunette.

"I'm sorry you're under the impression that I have any interest in making small talk, dear," she mimicked Ruby's gestures and her voice, before waving her hand dismissively and, back to her normal tone, continuing, "You'll do well to just leave her coffee by her bed and go before you do wake her up." Ruby was once again thankful for the bars that separated them, although she was sure no one would blame her if she turned and attacked Regina right there.

It was not long after the footsteps faded into the distance that she heard shuffling coming from the blonde's bed, and then Emma's still sleepy voice. "Who was that?" she mumbled in Regina's general direction.

"Someone who probably has more problem than you with keeping quiet," the brunette rolled her eyes before looking back the woman, who was now grinning.

"Aw, you were worried about waking me up?"

Regina looked away from Emma, for reasons she herself did not understand. "Don't be absurd, I was simply enjoying the silence."

"Yeah, sure you were," she motioned for her coffee, thankful it was still hot enough to be considered drinkable, but made a face nonetheless. "How much milk did they put in here?"

The brunette couldn't help smirking and feeling a bit disappointed that she had sent the wolf away before she could hear that.

"How are you feeling?" she asked the blonde with a serious voice.

Emma immediately noticed the change, knowing what it meant. They were already starting with the lessons or whatever it was that Regina had planned for the day. "A little tired," she mumbled while taking another sip of her coffee, knowing very well that this was not the answer Regina was looking for. The raise of the woman's eyebrow confirmed what she already knew. "Ok, fine. I'm still scared, ok? I still don't think I'm ready to go into this, and I still wish you had a way to just take it from me so that I wouldn't have to deal with it." She sat back on her bed with a huff.

"Well, dear, there isn't. Not for people like us," noticing Emma's questioning glance, she breathed deeply and went to sit next to the woman, trying to keep the edge off her voice. Magic was still a sore subject, even for herself, and if she was honest, she didn't feel any more ready than Emma did. But she knew this was the only way to help the woman, and, for reasons unknown even to her, she wanted to help. Her voice was much quieter now, due to the short distance between them. "Some people have magic because they learned how to do it. My mother was like that. She didn't have any magic in her, she wasn't born with it, but she was taught. With me, it was different," she closed her eyes briefly, trying to keep thoughts about her past in the back of her mind, "I don't know why, maybe it was because she couldn't do anything without magic by the time that I was born. Maybe it had nothing to do with this, but the truth is that I had no choice in the matter. It was one of the few things in which I truly had no choice. I did not use it until Rumplestiltskin started teaching me, but it was always there. I just suppressed it my whole life because I was so scared of it from seeing my mother doing it all the time."

"Did she use magic to hurt you?" Emma's question was unexpected, as it had nothing to do with magic itself and everything to do with the one thing Regina dreaded the most: her past.

"Yes."

The blonde waited for an explanation that never came. Still, she was thankful that, at least, she was being told the truth, even if the woman would not elaborate on it.

"As I was saying," Regina's voice cracked as she tried to keep her emotions at bay, "When one learns magic without really having any, well, it takes much longer, but it is also much safer, because they gain magic as they learn, so from the moment they get it, they are controlling it. For us, it usually starts manifesting itself before we even know that we have it. Then we have to take all this energy and find a way to keep it from getting out of hand."

"Was that supposed to make me feel calmer? Cause I gotta tell you, it's not doing much of that, Regina," she chuckled, the nervous hint on it not being lost on the brunette.

"I want you to have all the information you can possibly have. Trust me, it will help you make decisions when it comes to your magic. And those decisions, more than the way you use magic, those are the things that will define you and may change everything for you. You have to know these things. That your magic is all yours, for example. That way, if someone comes along trying to claim it, to offer to take it away, to make you stronger, or whatever else, you will know if they really have your best interest in mind, or if they are just trying to gain something, and maybe hurt you. I'm afraid this world is much more dangerous than Storybrooke, dear."

"So, the fact that we were born with magic, does that makes us more powerful than people like Cora?"

"Yes," Regina replied, nodding slightly, "It is why Rumple needed _me_ to cast that curse. My mother didn't have enough power. And I suspect it is also the reason why she never came back from Wonderland to fight me once I started using my magic."

"Where do you think my magic comes from?" she fidgeted, now looking down at her hands, "If yours might have come from Cora's constant use of it, why would I have it?"

"My strongest theory right now is that," she sighed, deeply annoyed by what she was about to say, but knowing it was the only thing that made sense, "you are the product of true love. Rumple keeps saying that is the most powerful magic there is. If that is true, Emma, it means your magic comes from a much lighter place than mine. It could be a little different, but it is probably going to make things a little easier for you. The pull towards darkness should be way less present than with mine."

"If it's about true love, then why is there a pull to darkness at all?" she lifted her head up to look at Regina, and the woman could see the fear in her eyes. The brunette hesitated, and it was all it took, "It's because of who I am, isn't it? I mean, who I turned out to be?"

Regina turned slightly to the side so that she could look at Emma better, "The things you have been through taught you to see things differently from your parents. Your magic is not all light because you have experienced too much. I wouldn't say that it has tainted it, just that it gave you a different perspective, that allows you to see that not everything can be separated into good and bad. Your magic is a mixture of that. The first time it happened, for example, you said you attacked one of the guards, right?" At Emma's nod, she went on, "But you didn't do it because you wanted to hurt anyone. You did to protect Henry. Your reasons were still good. Your magic represents you entirely. You may not have always chosen the best way to do things, but you never did it solely because you wanted to hurt people."

"And you did?" Regina nodded quietly, "How does that affect your magic, though?"

"I was taught that magic has to come from a dark place. And, as you can imagine, I was in a really dark place when I started. So it has always reflected that. I have never used it to heal anyone, for example. I'm not even sure I can."

Emma turned to look at the woman in front of her. She noticed the hint of sadness as the last words were spoken, and it unsettled her. "Maybe you couldn't before, and then you didn't have magic for a long time. But if magic really reflects who we are now, then I have no doubt that you can," she was met with a sweet yet disbelieving smile, "No, I'm serious. Do you really think that, if you ever saw Henry get hurt and you had magic, that you wouldn't do anything to tap into a more peaceful place within you, or remember an easier time, anything, just so that you could keep him from hurting? Cause I'm absolutely sure you would."

"How can you do that?" Regina was truly amazed by the other woman's words, "How can you have such faith in me?"

"Regina, listen to yourself," she started, "You are doing everything you can to keep the daughter of your arch nemesis from getting hurt. You were powerful enough to conquer kingdoms and to cast the most powerful curse that this world has ever seen. You survived your crazy mother and you are still able to love your son better than most of the 'parents' I've had in my life. Really, how can you _not_ have any faith in yourself?" she smiled and, hesitantly but with enough confidence, she took her hand to the woman's chin, slowly bringing her head back up so that she could see her eyes. "I do believe in you, you know?" She stroked her thumb almost imperceptibly through Regina's chin before letting go.

Their position was suddenly too intimate, and Regina was the one to put some distance between them when she got up and took the first book she could find, before lying in bed. "I believe we can take a break for the moment."

Emma wanted to pretend like she didn't understand what was happening, but she knew it could not end well if she did. A vulnerable Regina was a threatened Regina, after all, and the woman still did not know how to let her walls down without the fear that followed it. If the blonde was honest, she was not much better at this than Henry's adoptive mother, either. So she ignored the fact that they had only been talking for less than hour, and whispered 'ok', jumping to lie on her bed in a manner that made much more noise than an adult should, and earned a scoff from Regina. And then the smile that was becoming harder and harder to contain whenever Emma was around.

* * *

"Do you have anything else you want to know for now?"

They had been talking for almost the entire day. Regina explained much more about magic that Emma could ever dream of, and the blonde was still in awe at how much the other woman knew about it. She had always thought Regina to be one to just act on instinct and use a spell whenever it was convenient. She didn't expect her to have that much knowledge on magic itself, where it came from, the different types, but she found that it truly helped. By understanding this thing she had, that she still couldn't control, it became a little less scary, it slowly gave her more confidence.

"I don't know…" Emma said, "I think I just need to absorb everything for now, and maybe try to make sense of things?" she bit her lip, suddenly nervous that Regina would think she was trying to avoid talking about it some more. But the woman's expression showed that she understood.

"That is perfectly understandable, dear," she assured. "It won't do any good to just overload that pretty little blonde brain with more information than it can process."

Emma started nodding, but then paid enough attention to the words to be offended by them. However, the hint of annoyance soon left her when she saw the playful smirk on Regina's face. "Ha ha, very funny. So what do we do now? I'm gonna get bored pretty soon." She was almost immediately hit on the shoulder by a book throw her way. "Helena the Mindl… REGINA! Not that one again," she groaned.

"What? You never finished it," she grinned.

"And I never will!" she threw the heavy book back, missing Regina's face by an inch.

"You know you _are_ free to leave whenever you feel like leaving," the brunette spoke somewhat annoyed.

"And _you_ know that I am not leaving this place anytime soon. Not before I can control it," she sighed. "Look, can we just… talk? About anything other than magic?"

Regina's lips turned upward at the suggestion. Mostly, though, because she was far past the point in which she would deny she liked being around Emma. "What would you like to talk about, then?"

The blonde shrugged before moving her feet from one side to the other, creating a line on the dirty floor, "I don't know."

"Eloquent as ever," Regina smiled. "What is your favourite colour?" she asked, grinning.

Emma let out a short laugh. "What is my favourite colour? Really, Regina?"

"It's a perfectly valid question," she defended, choosing not to mention that she had realized a few days ago how little she knew about Emma, other than the way she was raised in the real world, and the few bits that everyone else seemed to know. More than that, she found she _wanted_ to know the little things, the ones not many people would consider asking.

"Blue," she finally replied, before a thought crossed her mind, "hey, is that why my magic energy or whatever is blue, too?"

"I thought you didn't want to talk about magic," Regina smirked, "but yes," she conceded, "well, it might be, I'm not sure. But it makes sense."

"Does that mean your favourite is purple? I always thought it would be black." Emma wondered out loud.

"Please, I do not have time for such nonsense as picking which colour I like best, I always had more important things to do."

"Oh, come on! Everybody has one! And you were the one who said it was a perfectly valid question," she mimicked Regina and heard a quiet laugh from the woman herself, "so you can't find it that stupid."

"I simply guessed you were the kind of person who has one. Although I figured it would be red, judging from the way you never left your house without that hideous jacket."

"The reason I like that jacket is not because of its colour," she replied, and just when Regina was sure she was getting more of an explanation, Emma Swan, probably for the first time in her life, decided to stay quiet.

"Well? What is the reason, then?"

"You seem awfully interested in me today," Emma was the one grinning now, and it grew bigger when Regina turned to look away from her. "One day," she spoke, once again getting the older woman's attention. "I'll tell you one day, when you decide on a colour you like," she winked.

Regina grunted in response. "You are infuriating, Ms Swan."

"But you wouldn't have it any other way, and you know it."

"Do I?"

But the truth was that she did. And it was beginning to unsettle her, how true Emma's words were. As if on cue, her next words reached her ears. "If you don't, you will, soon enough."

Their eyes met, and the mood suddenly changed. Neither woman could point out exactly what was different. It was not uncomfortable, but it was strange. It was not scary, and yet it terrified one of them, the mere possibility of what it could mean.

Regina was the first to break contact when she heard the distinct sound of footsteps. "The only thing I will find out soon, dear, is if the she wolf was well trained enough to make us the right coffees this time."

Emma laughed, the tension dissipating just about the time two guards came into view, each holding a separate tray that included a mug of steaming coffee, a variety of pastries, and fruit. They opened the cell carefully, as if still afraid Regina might try to attack them and run away – the way they acted earned an eyeroll from each woman – and handed them their food, which they gladly accepted.

The brunette was the first to look at her coffee and smile. She then took a sip and enjoyed the sensation of drinking what she actually wanted to drink. A quick look at Emma showed that the feeling was shared by the woman. "Enjoy it, Miss Swan. At least while you're eating, you're not asking stupid questions. Honestly…"

"Oh my god, you asked the freaking question first!" she replied, exasperated, much to Regina's amusement, but she couldn't bring herself to be angry at the woman. "And I'm the infuriating one," she mumbled.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing," Emma was quick to reply, "Enjoy your coffee, your majesty," she gave her the brightest and fakest smile she could manage, and then just rolled her eyes when Regina kept on smirking.


	10. Chapter 9 - The Pull To Darkness

**Disclaimer: **Once Upon a Time, Storybrooke and any recognizable characters are property of ABC Studios and the Walt Disney Co. No copyright infringement intended.

**A/N: **I am sorry for keeping you guys waiting even more than I said I would. I've actually had a lot of the story written for a while, but I am going through something really really shitty right now, so I couldn't even bring myself to come here and update. But now, for your patience, you are rewarded with the longest chapter yet. Also, I apologize for not replying to some of the reviews (I usually do my best to reply to all of them), but like I said... tough week... Hope it was worth the wait!

* * *

**Chapter 9 - The Pull to Darkness**

They spent the next two days balancing the subject of magic with other ones. Regina did not want to talk about it nonstop with Emma, in fear that it would stress her out even more, so she was trying to give her just enough knowledge so that she became more at ease, but also allow her to relax and think about other things. To her credit, the blonde had yet to ask to leave the cell, something Regina figured it would happen after her first day there. She didn't think Emma would take it seriously for too long, but she was wrong. More than that, she seemed to trust Regina so freely when it came to magic, which puzzled the brunette. _She_ wouldn't even trust herself that much if she were on Emma's shoes. Nonetheless, they had developed a routine which consisted pretty much on what they used to do before Emma's magic appeared, with the sole difference that they were both on the same side of the bars now. Snow would visit every day, and was starting to become more at ease with the arrangement. David, on the other hand, still refused to even show up.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Emma asked as she stretched herself in bed, trying to find the courage to get up. She tried to hide a yawn then, which earned one of Regina famous eye rolls.

The brunette, predictably already fully awake, studied the woman and spoke in a tone she hoped was calmer than she felt. "I was thinking that maybe," she hesitated, but went on, "Maybe you should try taking a walk outside, to see what happens." She noticed Emma stiffing at the suggestion. To be honest, she did not expect anything else. "I really think it's about time you tried. You are calmer now, you know much more about your powers than you did before, and I believe you are able to control yourself a bit better."

"You don't think I will try to hurt anyone this time?"

"You probably will, at some point," her voice was apologetic, but she refused to make promises of outcomes she had no control over. "But you're in a better place to deal with it now," she gave the blonde a small, yet honest smile, "You can stay here for weeks if you want, Emma, but it won't make you any less nervous when you take that first step. So you might as well start right now, and you tell me what the most difficult part was, and we'll go from there. The last time, you were scared you had only dark magic, and you didn't know what was happening. Now you know better, so it should be easier."

"Why do you keep saying 'you'? You're not going outside with me?" she suddenly sounded so much younger than she was, it made Regina close her eyes and take a deep breath. The last thing she wanted to do was let Emma go by herself.

"I don't think anyone would be all too willing to just release me and let me go outside," she spoke the obvious truth that Emma didn't seem to grasp.

"They will if I tell them I need you there with me," Emma pleaded.

Regina's breath caught in her throat at the sincerity behind the words, and it felt… _good_. Good to be needed, to feel like she was protecting someone instead of hurting, for once.

"Will you go?" she started, and then thought about Regina refusing to leave before, "Do you _want_ to? Trust me, I kind of get it now, this feeling that you're not ready for the real world just yet," she bit her lower lip, unsure if she was crossing some sort of line. "But I think, if we have to face it, we might as well do this together so that we can help each other, you know?"

"You're only saying that because you don't want to go alone," Regina retorted, even though her words held no hostility at all. In fact, Emma was almost sure she'd seen the sides of the woman's lips turn slightly upward.

The blonde took the lack of direct objection as a yes, and proceeded to call Snow. She now had the nearly impossible task of convincing the woman that Regina could be trusted outside that cell.

* * *

It did not go well.

After a lot of yelling from Emma's part, a lot of self-control from Regina's, and a lot of deep breaths from Snow, they agreed on a compromise. Snow opened the cell, and as soon as Emma left, she felt it. The tingling sensation that always served as a warning for what was about to follow. She was just so angry at the short haired brunette she had yet to call her mother. Angry for not understanding, for not trusting her own daughter's instincts, even for refusing to help Regina, just when she was truly changing and she needed people to have some faith in her.

There was no physical manifestation of the magic she felt coursing through her veins yet, so, when Snow asked how she was feeling, she did not expect Emma to just close her eyes and ignore her completely.

She actually thought her daughter was just being stubborn, it wasn't until Regina carefully crossed the threshold between the bars and approached Emma, gently taking her hand on hers, that the younger brunette understood.

"Emma?" her voice shook slightly as she took one hesitant step towards the two women.

"Just focus, ok? She's your mother, you don't want to hurt her, you know that," Regina whispered on Emma's ear, giving her hand an almost imperceptible squeeze, "It's ok to be angry, it's normal to be angry. Just don't use that anger to channel your magic," she gave a moment's thought before smirking, "You know, you could always just punch her."

At that, Emma's eyes snapped open and she burst into laughter, much to Snow's confusion. Regina's smirk never left her face, but it changed into a real smile when she could see Emma relaxing, and the tension, along with the spark of magic, leaving her body.

"And you still think I can do this without you, Regina?" she smiled easily now, before looking back at Snow, hesitantly freeing her hand from Regina's soft grasp, a little bit of the tension returning, "At least this time there was no fireball," she shrugged, both her hands in her pockets.

"Yes," Snow was still trying to dissipate the fog that her brain seemed to be stuck in. She had noticed the calming effect that Regina seemed to have on her daughter, but she couldn't help feeling a pang of jealousy at the way Emma had just laughed, so freely. That Regina was able to affect the blonde so naturally, when every effort she made seemed so forced, so difficult for Emma to reciprocate. She shook her head quickly, and put on a small smile, "Yes, that is definitely progress, I'd say," the silence was thick between the women, until Snow decided she did not want to make things any worse, "I'll leave you two to it," she smiled and nodded at her daughter, and then Regina, before quietly walking away.

The compromise was that they could practice magic outside the cell, so that Regina could teach her the more practical side of it, but they still didn't want the prisoner walking around the grounds. It was clearly not good enough for Emma, and she became even angrier when Snow assured that _she_ could go up and take a walk anytime she wanted, and then they would discuss about Regina. The blonde made a point right away that she was not leaving those dungeons until the other woman was allowed to leave, too, at least for a few hours each day. When it became clear that this was not happening at that moment, she could not contain her anger.

"Did you see that? I barely left the cell and I already wanted to attack someone!" Emma's hands went to her head, brushing her hair back as she made her way back to her bed.

But Regina's voice made her stop. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Where do you think? It's not safe out there," but she stopped all the same, looking between her bed and Regina as if trying to decide on what to do. Regina made the decision for her by magically closing the cell and locking it so that she could not go back in.

Noticing the annoyance on Emma's face, she walked closer to the woman, taking her hand once more, but this time to guide her away from the bars. "You did good," she assured her, "You managed to stop it before it really started. You will feel these things, Emma, you will feel the pull, the beginning, but having control is not about not getting the urge, it's about working around that, and not giving into it. You did good," she repeated.

"No, _you_ did it. You did something to calm me down, didn't you? I felt it," she looked down.

"All I did was talk to you," she could hear the sincerity on Regina's voice, but also the confusion and the hint of worry, "Why? Did you feel any magic from me to you?"

"I can't explain, but when you took my hand it was like your energy connected to mine, and mine became more… balanced, I think," Emma looked back up, her eyes squinting, "Does that make any sense? Can this happen?"

_Yes, it could. _"It's unusual," the brunette's expression mirrored Emma's in a way, "It doesn't happen much, but yes, sometimes." She knew she was being vague, and right now she had no intention of elaborating more on it than she absolutely had to. Because she had felt the same thing, but had hoped it was simply the surge of power coming from Emma. But she knew it was more. It was as if their energies, their magic, _recognized_ each other, connecting immediately. And if magic was all about emotion, well, she _really_ did not want to think further. "Still, you controlled it," she went back to the more important subject. "I just helped you get in a state of mind that would allow for that to happen."

"It was easier than last time, to be honest," the smallest hint of a smile showed on Emma's face. "I think because I recognized the signs, so I knew what was happening before it actually did. When I closed my eyes, I was trying to, you know, count to ten, take deep breaths, whatever," she shrugged.

Regina laughed softly, "Don't forget you're not doing yoga, dear. Sometimes it takes a little more than that. But you will find out what works for you," she promised, "You just won't have the chance to find out if you keep hiding down here."

"Hey, I'm not hiding!" at the raised eyebrow she got in response, she sighed, "Fine, I'm not _just_ hiding, I'm also learning."

"And you are a surprisingly good student," Regina conceded, "Which means that, sooner rather than later, there will be no reason for you to stay locked here."

Emma pouted, much to Regina's amusement. "But I don't like it up there," she whined. "And I meant it, I'm not going until they let you go, too."

"We don't have to talk about this now. Here, I want to show you something," she reached both her hands, palms up, so that Emma could hold them. Immediately, they felt the connection, and smiled despite themselves. "Close your eyes, and tell me something you want to change around here. Nothing too big."

She tried to think of something, and remembered one little thing that bothered her the past two nights, "My blanket could be a bit warmer, maybe thicker?"

"Good, now focus on that. Focus on the feeling of warmth, on the memory of a good night of sleep, and just relax."

She started feeling it, the usual tingling, and suddenly her hands gripped Regina's tighter.

"It's ok," the brunette spoke softly, feeling Emma's tension, "You are safe here, no one is threatening you, there is no reason to be scared. It won't hurt you," when she could still feel Emma's magic, but didn't feel her relaxing, she sighed, "Emma, open your eyes," she did, and Regina looked right at her, "You are safe," she repeated, "I promise. Don't be scared, ok?"

Nodding and closing her eyes again, Emma took a deep breath and let herself be consumed by the feeling coursing through her. Regina was right, it didn't feel threatening in any way, and she still felt completely in control. She focused on what she wanted to change, imagined the brown blanket over her bed turning into a duvet, one of the really thick ones she had grown accustomed to in Storybrooke. Just when she had the perfect picture on her mind, the magic stopped, and she felt normal again.

"What happened? Why did it stop?" she opened her eyes slowly, meeting Regina's already open ones. The woman had a smile on her face, and guided her to the side so that she could look at her bed.

"Because you already did it," she smiled proudly as they looked at the much nicer and warm looking duvet. But what struck her the most was that something else was changed.

"I didn't picture any specific colour, why did it change?" she smiled, happy to see it was now a light shade of blue. She looked back at Regina, grinning, "Were you responsible for that detail?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, dear," she smiled back, and after a moment of silence, took one step back, "So, how did it feel?"

"Good," she never thought she'd ever describe any kind of magic that way, "Peaceful, even."

"You see, now? That is the feeling you need to focus on, when doing magic. Now you know it doesn't have to be all about darkness."

"How did it feel for you?" Emma surprised her by asking.

"Lighter than what I'm used to."

"And that's a good thing, right?" she bit her lip and glanced at the woman, who nodded.

"Yes, Emma," she replied. "It's a very good thing."

"So, should we do yours now?" Emma grinned, already putting her palms up for Regina to take.

When she did, she noticed how much calmer the blonde seemed now, she was immediately relaxed and let the magic flow through her. They both closed their eyes and Regina couldn't help noticing that she herself felt much more relaxed when connected to Emma as well. As if she grounded her, keeping her from doing anything on impulse and hurting someone. The thought put her even more at ease, and soon she had a nice and warm duvet, pretty much like Emma's.

Well, except for one thing.

"PINK, Miss Swan?"

"What? I was just repaying the gesture, and you never really told me what you would prefer," Emma shrugged with a smirk of her own, which seemed to grow wider the more exasperated Regina got.

"And you didn't think to go with something a bit more… neutral?"

"Oh, come on, it doesn't look that bad," she tried.

"It looks… fluorescent. Do I look like Glinda, the Good to you?" she spoke, not even attempting to hide how distasteful she thought the comparison was. With a heavy sigh, she closed her eyes and the colour immediately shifted. "There. That looks better," she gave a satisfied smile.

"Black? At least go with something a bit nicer." It was Emma's turn to focus, trying to turn it into a creamy tone, but all she managed was to light it enough to make it a dark shade of grey instead. She then proceeded to pout again, "Why can't I do it?"

"You will, with enough practice," Regina replied, "Now do you want to try something else, or should we keep reenacting this horrid scene from that stupid Sleeping Beauty animation?"

"Hey, that was my favourite scene! Can we splash your duvet so that it's half blue and half pink?"

"Don't even think about it," she warned, and when she saw Emma trying to change something again, she grabbed both her arms and turned her so that her back was faced to the cell. Just in case.

* * *

By the end of the day, Emma was actually excited to be learning that kind of thing. It had worked perfectly – she wasn't scared anymore – and she felt more confident than ever about herself and her abilities.

When Snow came to see them by the end of the day, the blonde ran to her and proceeded to telling her the good news. "Emma, that is great!" Snow was genuinely happy to see the huge progress since that morning. She was still fearful that she would go there only to find her daughter even more distraught and angry at her.

"I really think I can do this. It's not always easy, but I can stop myself, I know what to do now."

"Does that mean you are ready to get out of here?" Snow sounded so hopeful that it broke Emma's heart to have to shake her head.

She did not want to fight anymore, and she was sick of feeling as if she would always have to be between the two women who were now with her. Still, as much as she didn't want to bring the subject up, she didn't feel like she had a choice. "I was serious before. I am not leaving until Regina has some sort of freedom around here."

Regina's heart skipped a beat. When Snow asked about Emma leaving, she expected to hear a 'yes' from the woman. Truth was she was as ready as she ever would be, to start facing things as they came. There was still a lot to learn, of course, but she wouldn't learn them by being locked in that cell, only by allowing herself to live her life and face the situations as they came. There was no reason for her to stay. So the feeling that someone was standing up to her that way, she didn't remember anyone doing that for her before, ever since Daniel.

"Emma… before, you said you needed her with you, to keep you calm. It seems like you are a lot more confident now," Snow tried, which seemed to infuriate her daughter even more.

"Oh, that's really nice of you. Just staying here as long as I need her, and then locking her up alone again and go live my life."

"I didn't mean it like that," and she really hadn't. She wanted nothing more than to be able to reach out to Regina and help, but she was at complete loss as how to go about it this time. None of the other times had worked very well to her, only bringing everyone more problems.

"The hell you didn't!" she was angry again, she felt it. She felt the same as before, and she half expected to feel Regina close to her, like last time. But when she closed her eyes and thought back on everything she had done with magic that day, she tried to focus on the peaceful feeling. It was much easier to push back the magic this time, and let anger be nothing more than just that: a feeling, which did not take over her. She took another deep breath, feeling like herself again. "I think you should go now," she turned and, as calmly as she could manage, walked back inside the cell, sitting by her bed and bringing her head to rest, supported by her hands. "I'm getting a headache," she spoke more quietly, and heard the sigh coming from Snow.

The queen looked from her daughter to Regina, who was still outside, much closer to her. To her surprise, she found herself approaching the woman. "I really didn't mean it the way she thinks I did," she dared to look into Regina's eyes, and found all sorts of conflicting emotions there. "I know you will keep her safe, I can see it," she whispered, risking a glance on Emma's direction and making sure she wasn't listening, "But I know you have risked everything to hurt me before, so that puts me in a really hard position," she stopped, waiting for some sort of a reply, and when it didn't come, she swallowed hard and finally said the words she wished she didn't have to, "Emma is the most important person in my life. I don't want her to have her heart broken."

Regina really wanted to do as she had suggested Emma earlier and just punch the woman on the jaw right now. But she couldn't. Not just because she could not teach Emma how to control her anger and then go and do the opposite, but because she was too stunned by what she'd heard to be able to formulate a proper response, or any reaction to it whatsoever. "I don't like you," her words were cold and restrained. Snow looked down and nodded, not expecting much else from the Evil Queen she had lived with for so long.

"I know," she replied, "You made a point in showing me in very creative ways," she almost cringed at the satisfied smirk that appeared on Regina's face.

"But I mean no harm to Emma," she guaranteed, flicking her wrist to make a small flask of aspirins appear out of thin air as if to prove her point.

"That doesn't mean you won't hurt her. Sometimes we harm people, even with the best intentions," she spoke, still not able to face Regina fully.

"Well, then it's a good thing I have such vast experience with good intentions causing harm, isn't it? I can try a bit harder than other people have," she spat and walked back inside, locking the door herself and throwing the keys on the floor for Snow to take.

As soon as the woman left, she heard a quiet muffled cry coming from the other bed. Not knowing what else to do, she grabbed some water and left it close to Emma's side, placing the medicine next to it. "You did good today, Emma," she spoke quietly. "Better than most people would," when Emma looked up slowly and Regina saw the tracks of a few tears she had allowed to fall, she felt uneasy. But then the woman gave her a small appreciative smile and things did not seem so bad. "Good night." It was way too early to go to sleep, but she didn't know what else to say.


	11. Chapter 10 - The Confidant

**Disclaimer: **Once Upon a Time, Storybrooke and any recognizable characters are property of ABC Studios and the Walt Disney Co. No copyright infringement intended.

* * *

**Chapter 10 - The Confidant**

Emma was unusually quiet for the rest of the evening. Regina was trying to get distracted after the unsettling conversation with Snow White – if that could even be called a conversation – but she could not help glancing every once in a while, to always be met with the same scene: Emma, lying on her back, both arms crossed behind her head, eyes wide open, looking up. On the first minutes right after Snow left, Regina would see a few tears trailing down the younger woman's face, and hear a soft sniff or a sigh. But they soon stopped, and now Regina was left with only the sound of the woman's still a little uneven breathing, and the image of green eyes staring numbly at the ceiling.

"You can stop looking every five seconds, you know?" Regina was surprised by Emma's quiet and raspy voice. She still didn't move, though, still looking up, "I'm not going to break down."

"I know," the response came with an unbelievably soft tone, "Did your headache at least get better?"

"Yeah, thanks for that," the blonde's voice was sincere, but it seemed detached.

There was more silence. Regina was starting to get nervous with the fact that it truly bothered her. It wasn't even the silence, really. It was the fact that Emma was clearly not ok, and she didn't know what to do to change that.

Finally, after a few long minutes, she decided on a single word. "Blue."

Emma immediately turned to look at Regina, whose eyes were already trained on her, and gave her a small smile. "Really? Like me?" She considered cracking a joke about Regina calling out for the Blue fairy in the middle of the night, but she was too tired to pretend that she hadn't understood what the woman meant.

The brunette nodded. "I always liked the colour, ever since I was little," she was actually relieved when she saw Emma turning her entire body to the side and propping her head up, supporting it with her elbow. "And then…" she paused for a second, trying to gather enough courage to talk about it. To talk about _him_. "Then I met Daniel, and his eyes… it was like someone took my favourite shade and put it there. I think it was the first thing I loved about him," she smiled, and allowed a single tear to fall from her face. Usually, she wouldn't, but if anyone warranted that, it was Daniel. "When she took his heart," her voice cracked, almost failing her now, but she managed to keep talking, "All I could see was the terrified look on his face, the horror on those beautiful blue eyes, and then the bright red heart on her hands."

"Blue and red together make purple," Emma whispered, suddenly overcome with an unsettling need to go over and be next to Regina, to offer some kind of support. But she fought it, part of her afraid that the woman would reject anything of the sort, another part afraid of the exact opposite. She wouldn't know what to do either way.

Regina nodded silently, before swallowing hard. "Purple means a lot of things, too. In some places, it is the colour of royalty, it represents power. For others, it is used for mourning the dead. With time, I changed. I became all of this together. And I could never look at pure blue the same way, and love it the same way. The memory of his eyes, it just… it always mixes with red now. I actually hate purple, because it reminds me of all these things. It taints his memory," there was a quiet sob, and then Emma could not help herself any longer.

Before Regina knew it, her duvet was being gently pulled, and, when she looked up at Emma in confusion, she saw the blonde holding her own light blue one, and carefully placing it over her. "No more darkness for you," she said, "I think he deserves a pure memory. I think you both do."

It wasn't just the amazingly kind gesture that rendered her speechless. It was the gentleness on Emma's tone when talking about Daniel, as if she understood just how much it mattered to the woman who still loved him so very much, that he was respected.

Noticing the brunette was not going to snap at her anytime soon, Emma sat by the bed, mirroring Regina's position not many nights ago, and looked down at her own hands, under the other woman's curious gaze. "The jacket was a farewell gift," she started, quietly, but with a somewhat happy smile on her face.

Regina sat up and watched the woman intently.

"My last foster family, they had a kid of their own," she was startled she was even sharing this. No one else knew about that, "I got there when I was 12, she was 11. The parents gave her everything, treated her like a princess, which, when I think about it now, is kind of ironic," she chuckled, "Her name was Lara and at first I thought she would be this spoiled little brat, but we became really good friends. I didn't trust anyone, but that girl earned it. She stayed with me all night on my first night in the house. Some older foster kids kicked me out of the room, I stayed outside and I was so scared," she gave Regina a sad smile, and the woman's insides twisted with guilt. She couldn't help reminding herself that she was the reason Emma had to go through these things in the first place. Still, she said nothing, and let her continue, "I sat there, on the hall, and I started crying. I was being so careful not to wake anyone up, but then one of the doors opened, and it was Lara. I thought she was going to run to her parents and rat me out, but she sat with me, and we talked until I fell asleep. She was the one who woke me up early the next day, and said I should try going back to my room or else I'd get in trouble. Then I have no idea what she did, but she convinced her parents to get me my own room seeing as I was much younger than the other kids. She always did everything she could to make things a bit easier for me, you know? The only who cared enough to do that. On my birthdays, that her parents didn't even acknowledge, she would always get me a little something herself, and then she would act like the spoiled brat I once thought she was, only to get her parents to buy her something really expensive that I wanted, and she would give it to me," Emma laughed quietly once again, causing Regina to give her a small smile.

"It must have been nice, to have someone who took care of you like that," she whispered.

"It was," Emma smiled, but it faltered after a moment, "But it was still pretty hard. They made us do all the housework, and, with time, the older kids got too old and left, and it was just me doing everything. They wouldn't let Lara do a thing, even though she tried to help me whenever they weren't looking. But as time passed, I just wanted to be free, to not feel like I was always following orders, like I owed those people anything. I wanted to go and find my way, and do whatever I wanted, I was so sick of living like that. So I told her that I was leaving as soon as I turned 16, I was going to try and get a job and then have my own life. I was so sure I could do it. Clearly, I was wrong," she sighed, remembering stealing cars and meeting Neal and having her baby in prison, "I never really thought I'd have to resort to stealing, except maybe for the first days or weeks. Lara tried to convince me otherwise. She didn't want me to leave, of course. But by then she knew me enough to know that I wasn't going to change my mind. It was about three months before my birthday when I told her. She wouldn't talk to me for the first week, but with time, she tried to understand. So the day before my birthday, she gave me her favourite jacket, she had just gotten it like a month ago, with some money she had saved from summer jobs here and there, and she knew how much I loved that thing. And she gave me the rest of the money she had, so that I could afford a place to stay and food for the first days, and covered for me so that her parents wouldn't know I left until I was far away from that house."

"Did you two keep in touch after that?" Regina asked. She couldn't help the weird feeling the story elicited in her. She felt… special somehow, that she was the one Emma had chosen to share that memory with.

"We tried," Emma thought back, "I stopped by the school a few times and we talked, but pretty soon I had to leave town. You know, too many people knew me around there, and I needed a fresh start. It wasn't as easy to keep in touch back then, especially for a runaway kid who barely had money to get her own food, let alone a phone."

"Well, dear, as much as I think I like this Lara person, it doesn't change the fact that both of you have hideous taste in clothes," she smirked, and then reached to touch Emma's hand with her own, "Did you bring that awful thing with you when you came here?" she asked softly, and smiled when the blonde nodded, laughing quietly, "Good. Tomorrow you should ask someone to bring it to you. That is if I can't convince you to get out. It's bad enough that one of us needs to be here."

"Are you that eager to get rid of me, Your Majesty?" her tone was playful, but behind her words, Regina could sense something else. Something that seemed awfully familiar, and she did not want Emma to ever feel that way again.

"I want you to be able to live your life in peace, and not in fear," she looked straight into Emma's eyes this time. Slowly, the right side of her lip turned upward, "But if anyone asks, we can go with your version. I do have a reputation to uphold, after all."

"Look… we're friends now, aren't we?" Emma hesitated, but breathed a sigh of relief when Regina quietly nodded.

"Yes, dear, I would say we are." It should scare her, really, how easily the admission left her lips.

"And I'm gonna go crazy here and assume that you never had that many friends, either, right? But here's the thing," she leaned closer, touching the blue duvet softly, almost reverently, "Friends fight for each other. And I get it, that after everything you've been through, and everything people made you believe about yourself, that you wouldn't think you are worth fighting for. But everything I've learned about you so far tells me the exact opposite," Regina's breath caught on her throat, "It tells me that people tried to put you down and control you because they saw how great you could be, and it scared the hell out of them. Your mother. Rumpelstiltskin. Hell, even the stupid king you had to marry."

"Do try to refrain from calling your grandfather stupid in front of other people, dear. They might not be as amused by it as I am," Regina broke the seriousness of the conversation with the comment and a grin.

"Ew, can you stop reminding me of these things? Geez, Regina, grosse!" And then Emma immediately paled, and the words were out of her mouth before she could help herself, "Oh my god, did he ever… you know? Were you ever… forced…"

"No," the brunette replied immediately, "No, it wasn't like that. I was more of a nanny for Snow than anything else," she did not miss the huge sigh of relief coming from the other woman, "The way he hurt me, it was different. He would talk about _her_ all the time. How perfect she used to be, how heartbroken he was that he'd lost her," Emma didn't have to ask in order to understand who she was talking about, "and I was just there, like I was nothing but a piece of decoration to be shown around. Don't get me wrong, I am glad it wasn't more than that, but sometimes it's good to feel like you do matter, like your opinion is important, and that you are more than a shadow of someone long gone."

"I know what you mean. God, did you even have time to _grieve_?"

And those simple words meant more to her than pretty much anything else they'd ever talked about. Because, at last, Regina felt like someone truly saw her. Not the Evil Queen she became, but the girl she was, who found no other alternative other than to become that.

"You didn't deserve the kind of life you had," Regina whispered, looking down. She was sure Emma already knew the answer to the question she'd posed, so there was no point talking about it. But she needed to get this out, "You should have been the one whose parents gave everything to. You should have grown up like a princess, never wanting for anything."

"I've learned a long time ago that life is not always fair, Regina. And if your life story is anything to go by, that is just as true on this world as it is on mine. Maybe it's just the important and famous princesses that get their happy ending," she looked at her sadly, "But hey, it doesn't mean we can't try, right? Isn't that what you're doing?"

"I suppose," she hesistated. "But some of the choices I made, and the magic… it all changed me in a way that I'm not sure I will ever come back from."

Emma did not really believe that. Regina was already coming back from that, she could see that part of the woman fighting like hell to resurface, only to be pushed back down by all the years of hurt and fear that she was forced to face, which made it so hard for her to trust someone and open her heart again. "I forgive you, you know," she said the words and saw Regina's eyes meet hers so quickly that she didn't have time to look away. "I know you never asked me or anyone else other than Henry for forgiveness, but," she closed her eyes, the feeling was so true within her, and she was so certain of what she was saying it was almost overwhelming, "If it's worth anything," she shrugged with a quiet chuckle, "It's easier to forgive you for my past, now that I know a little bit more about yours," she smiled through the few tears that fell from her face. Tears she could see mirrored on the other woman's.

She reached out, slowly, to dry them, but the brunette turned to her side before she could do it, and wiped them herself quickly.

"I'm sorry," she was nervous, Regina could tell, "I just thought that… I'm sorry," she repeated, and motioned to get up, but Regina's hand found hers before she could.

They looked at each other once again, confusion, doubt, fear, hope, they could both feel it all at the same time. With a gentle swipe of her thumb through the blonde's hand, Regina allowed herself a small smile. "It means everything," she whispered, wanting nothing more than to look away, but finding that she wasn't able to.

Something was different, Emma noticed as she looked at their joined hands and allowed herself a small smile, bringing her other hand so that both of them were around Regina's, suddenly feeling protective of the woman. "It's ok that you don't like her, you know," she admitted, referring to Snow, "After all you've told me, I would never ask you to like her, but maybe," she tried to find the right words to say exactly what she thought, "Maybe you need to start focusing on your own happiness, other than other people's misery. This whole curse of yours… did it ever make you truly happy?"

"It did bring me some satisfaction for a while," Regina sighed, still in a frame of mind that told her she needed to justify herself.

"But that wasn't what I asked," Emma's lips turned into a small smile, "And you know that."

"And _you_, Ms. Swan, already know the answer to your own question," the brunette retorted, rolling her eyes and turning her gaze away from Emma. The last thing she wanted was to talk about the curse or Snow White and her stupid prince.

"I'm just saying," one of Emma's hands found Regina's chin, and made her look at her again, "You are both idiots," she grinned.

And then, unexpectedly, Regina _laughed_. It lasted a second, but it was such an honest sound that Emma could have hugged the woman in front of her. "Yeah, well, you had to inherit it from somewhere."

"Seriously, though. You need to stop obsessing over her because…" she looked apologetically, her hand still not leaving Regina's chin, instead caressing her cheeks gently, "Because you know by now that it won't bring him back," her own voice cracked a bit. "And she needs to just stop acting as if…" she paused, retreating her hand to brush some of her own hair from her face, "She just needs to stop."

"Some people would argue she's not really doing anything," Regina countered.

"Well, then those people are even bigger idiots than the two of you."

"You know, dear, not too many people would get away with calling me an idiot twice in less than ten minutes," she tried to look somehow menacing, but it did nothing to erase the smile from Emma's face.

"Well then, I guess I'm lucky I'm the exception."

Regina shook her head, but smiled nonetheless. _That you are, Emma Swan. That you are._


	12. Chapter 11 - The Light

**Disclaimer: **Once Upon a Time, Storybrooke and any recognizable characters are property of ABC Studios and the Walt Disney Co. No copyright infringement intended.

**A/N: **You guys have been amazing, so I decided to post this a day earlier this time. The website didn't seem to be sending out the e-mails to let the subscribers know that the story was updated, I really hope it's fixed by now. Either way, a lot of you read and enjoyed the last chapter, so thank you so much for taking your time to leave a review. I do realize the build up is really slow on this fic, but hey, at least they'll have a solid foundation once something happens. In this chapter, things start to progress a little more, plot wise. So I hope you guys enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 11 - The Light**

"Are you sure about this?" Emma asked as the cell was unlocked and she got ready to leave.

Earlier that day, Snow had returned, asking her daughter, who was now much calmer, if she would consider at least having lunch upstairs with them so they could talk better. Regina was the one who convinced her she should go.

"I am," the brunette nodded with what she hoped was an encouraging smile, "You're ready for this." Although she was sad to see Emma go, and a small part of her was even apprehensive that the blonde would see the world up there was not as scary as she'd made herself believe the past days and decide to stay there, she also knew it was an important step for Emma.

The blonde, on her part, got closer to Regina and reached for her hands as if on instinct. "Will you be ok here?" she asked, and seemed genuinely concerned.

Regina couldn't help the smirk that formed on her lips, "I think you should've asked that question _before_ you moved in, not when I'm about to get rid of you."

Emma really wanted to roll her eyes at the predictable teasing, but she could only smile fondly at the woman. "I'll miss you too," she squeezed her hands before letting go and making her way outside, unknowingly leaving the woman thinking way too much about her words.

Time seemed to pass much slower then, much like it did the weeks before Emma became a constant presence in her life. She tried to distract herself with a few books, but couldn't really concentrate for too long. Finally, she found herself lying in bed, looking up at nothing in particular, and smiling at the memory of Emma in that exact same position on the floor, talking about the so-called patterns she could see up in the dungeon's walls.

"Guess what?" she wasn't sure how much time had passed when Emma jumped in front of her cell, happily showing her the keys she had on her hands and not wasting any time in using them. When the door was opened and there was nothing in between them, though, Regina did not move. "Come on, it's time for you to get out of this place."

"I don't understand…"

The younger woman took a few steps inside the cell and took Regina's hand, softly tugging it, urging her to move. "It's time for us to do some magic up there," she winked.

Although still a little bit hesitant and confused as to what had happened during that lunch, Regina could not resist the smile that crept on her lips, and walked out of the only place she had been allowed to stay in for the past months. "Where are we going?"

"Just out for a walk," she smiled, never letting go of Regina's hand as they exited the place.

When they walked out of the dungeons and into the kitchen, the brunette could feel more than a few curious pairs of eyes turning to them. Emma's pace quickened when she realized how uncomfortable Regina was with the attention.

They made their way outside, and, when the first beams of light touched her face, Regina had to admit it felt incredibly good. They walked quietly, and the brunette immediately realized where they were going: the gardens.

It looked different, of course. It had been too long, and the place had been abandoned for almost three decades, but it was clear that a lot of effort was going into making it as beautiful as it once had been. Despite herself, she reached her hand and touched the flowers lightly as they passed by them, and a smile graced Emma's lips as she noticed the woman next to her visibly relaxing.

The blonde herself was doing her best to control her own magic. It was a constant effort, and she knew very well how the smallest thing could set it off sometimes, but, slowly, she was starting to feel more like herself.

"You don't seem scared about being out here," Regina spoke quietly. There was no one too close to them, and the silence was pleasant, taking away the need to speak louder than that in order to be heard.

"It's not easy," she admitted, "But whenever I feel it threatening to take over, I close my eyes and I see you," she shrugged, "I mean," she quickly continued with a faint blush when she realized how that sounded, "I remember all the things you told me, and everything I know now about magic, and I just know I can control it if I don't allow myself to panic."

"I'm glad to see you were actually paying attention," Regina could not resist saying, her tone light and carefree.

"I have always listened to you, Regina," Emma replied, stopping to look right at the woman, and whispered next to her ear, "You were the one not paying attention." She smiled and skipped away, Regina swallowing hard at the feeling that followed.

She watched the blonde's retreating form, not able to move for a moment, and then shook her head as if to dismiss the thoughts which were threatening to invade her mind, and quickened her pace to catch up with Emma.

It all happened too fast, before she could reach the younger woman, who was now by the end of the garden, where a small road led outside the ground. She heard the horse, obviously scared of something, coming closer and closer, fast. Too fast for Emma to react. The big, dark animal ran on her direction and then kept running away.

Being as familiar as she was with horses, Regina knew the animal had to have been provoked by someone to just go off running that way. She could recognize the signs, which meant it had been done on purpose. But she could barely spare a thought to consider that when she saw Emma lying on the side of the road.

"EMMA!" she yelled, not wasting one second before running the short distance separating them and immediately kneeling by her side. When she heard the groan and saw the blonde moving to try and sit up, she sighed. Regina could not remember feeling so relieved in a long time. Still, she needed to make sure. "Emma, are you hurt?" she asked urgently as she took one hand to the woman's back, helping her to sit up, and the other one to move blonde locks from her face.

"I don't know, I…" she looked from one side to the other, and then stopped when she met Regina's frightened eyes. "What happened?"

"One of the horses got scared, and be thankful it didn't run you over," she answered in the simplest way she could. "We'll discuss this later, but right now we need to make sure you're ok," she inspected Emma's head and did not see any signs of cuts or bruising.

"Regina, hey, I'm fine," she tried to smile as she reached out to the woman's trembling hand, but then she felt the powerful sting coming from her arm and she bit her lips trying not to scream.

They both saw it at the same time, a big cut on Emma's upper arm, no doubt from when she fell and hit a big rock on the way. It was not bleeding too much, but there was blood, and it did look deep enough to be quite painful.

"Can you get up? Are your legs hurt?" Regina whispered in a shaky voice.

The blonde started moving her legs and managed, with Regina's help, to get herself up and walk to the nearest bench, where she immediately sat. The brunette, however, stood in front of her, both of her hands reaching for the woman's. When Emma squeezed them lightly and motioned for her to get up and sit next to her, Regina started to relax. She finally sat, cupping Emma's face, her thumbs brushing slightly through her cheeks, managing to take the little bit of dirt that had settled there.

"Are you sure you are alright?" she looked right into green eyes, and noticed Emma's hands going up until they covered hers.

"Just a cut," she promised, and Regina nodded softly, lowering her head and taking deep breaths, her hands lowering to her lap. Emma did not let go of her hands, so Regina's movement caused the blonde to lean in closer. She did, until their foreheads touched. "Hey," she whispered, once again squeezing the hands that she now held, just lightly enough to get her attention, "I'm ok, I promise."

When Regina moved her head and looked back up, the blonde did not expect to see the unshed tears in the woman's eyes. Despite them, the brunette smiled. "Good," she whispered, and Emma had to wonder if she'd ever seen the woman in front of her showing that much concern before, "Try not to scare me like that again, ok?" the blonde was too shocked to react, so she just nodded. "Can I take a look at your arm?"

Emma turned slightly so that Regina could examine the cut. The woman's hands were so gentle and careful that the blonde almost forgot that she was actually in pain. Regina then ripped a piece of her already old and rather worn dress and looked around, soon finding what she was looking for. She was glad to notice no one seemed to have seen what happened. With her reputation, they would've thrown her back in her cell for hurting the princess, without giving her a chance to even check that Emma was ok. Promising she would be back in a minute, she made her way to a fountain not very far from them, and dipped the cloth in the water, hurrying back to clean the wound.

The moment the cloth touched her bloodied arm, she winced and looked to the side, biting her lip.

"I'm sorry," Regina said, "I just want to take the dirt out now, so it doesn't get infected. I'll try not to press too much."

"No, it's fine. It was hurting before, it's not you," Emma assured her, still looking away.

She almost didn't feel the fabric touching her arm, just Regina's hand on hers, supporting and comforting. And then the movement on her cut stopped.

"Finished?" she asked quietly and turned to see something she definitely did not expect.

There was light blue energy coming from Regina's hand, the cloth now forgotten on the bench, the woman looking startled. "I… I'm not sure what's happening."

But Emma had a thought. The energy was close enough for her to feel it, almost touching her. And it did not feel threatening at all. "It's ok," she said it as if she knew any of this better than the woman in front of her, "Go with your instincts."

Regina knew what her first instinct was, but she was also afraid, so afraid that she would be wrong and it would end up hurting Emma even more.

"I trust you," Emma spoke again, looking into her eyes and nodding while she let go of Regina's other hand only to lace their fingers together.

It gave the former Queen the courage to lower her energy powered hand closer and closer to Emma's injured arm, until the blonde could feel the warmth radiating from it. When it was a mere inch away, Regina stopped, just closed her eyes and focused, and before she knew it, Emma's pain was gone.

"You did it," Emma laughed, moving her arm back and forth as if to prove it, and then her beaming eyes stared right at the other woman's, "Regina, you healed me!"

Regina tried to say something, but found she couldn't. Instead she took Emma's arm again and examined once more, not finding even a scratch on her skin. "I did, didn't I?" she then looked up with the most beautiful and hopeful smile the blonde had ever seen.

"I told you, I knew you were able to," she almost jumped up and down on the bench from excitement. "Who would know I would be the one to bring it out on you?" she grinned.

Any smart remarks Regina might have had died in her lips as she looked at Emma, and the way she was smiling so truthfully, so earnestly. No one had looked at her that way in such a long time. Like they actually believed in her, and they were able to look past all the horrible things she had ever done, and see the Regina she had once been. Young, hopeful, innocent.

She opened her mouth, trying to voice at least some of the thoughts going through her mind, when she heard someone calling Emma's name, and looked behind them to see Snow White running on their direction.

"Emma, are you ok?" she approached the women, breathing heavily from the effort of the quick run, "Someone thought they saw you falling or something," she took a moment to look at her daughter and noticed the dirt on her clothes and some of it still on her face, "What happened?" she asked softly, both her hands cupping her face before letting go, the gesture still not entirely natural for them. She looked between Regina and Emma, waiting for either woman to reply.

"She was walking by the road, and one of the horses came running on her direction," Regina explained, looking pointedly at Snow, hoping she would understand the implications without having to say out loud. Emma did not need one more reason to worry, especially with her magic still unstable as it was. But it had happened. _Someone did this on purpose._

The younger brunette nodded quickly, indicating she'd gotten the message. "Were you hurt?" she turned her attention back at Emma.

"Just my arm, but Regina already fixed it," she turned to look at the woman with a smile, and missed the look on her mother's face when she looked at the blonde's arm and didn't see anything there.

"You healed her!"

Regina had to fight the urge to snap at the woman for the simple fact that this was what they did. They fought. Always and about everything. Because she hated Snow White and always would.

But when she really looked at her expression, she saw something so similar to what she'd seen on Emma's, almost as if Snow was not only thankful, but also _proud_ of her. She shook her head to erase that thought. It was not possible. And even if it was, it didn't matter because the woman infuriated her, and she could be as nice as she wanted, it would not change anything.

She turned back to Emma. "Considering your family's history with runaway horses, dear, I would try to stay as far away from them as possible from now on."

"Guess I'm lucky you're always around to save the day, then," she gently touched her shoulders to the woman's, who shook her head in amusement despite herself.

Almost by accident, her gaze locked with Snow's. For the tiniest second, they were both transported to the moment they met. Before all the mess was made, back when Regina was just a young woman who had jumped on a horse and rushed to save a little girl's life. When she was the one who had taught young Snow about the power of true love.

Snow wanted nothing more than to find that woman again. Actually, she knew it was Regina who needed to find herself, and she knew it wasn't an easy task, after being lost for so long. But she truly believed that this day and this moment, it was a start of a real change. So her eyes kept locked with the woman's when she whispered a soft 'thank you', and she sighed in relief when the former Evil Queen smiled and nodded.

They were too distracted to notice someone else approaching them. And as soon as his bright brown eyes saw the scene, he smiled and ran towards the women. "Mom!"

Three pairs of eyes immediately turned to see Henry hastily making his way towards them. Regina looked both happy to see the boy again, but terrified of what his reaction to her could be. Emma seemed to sense it and squeezed her hand softly, letting go just by the time the boy stopped in front of them.

He then looked from one to the other before focusing on Regina and opening up the biggest smile she had even seen directed at her, throwing himself at her and hugging her tightly. Emma smiled too, winking at her son.

She couldn't do much more than wrapping her arms around his small figure and letting out a quiet sob, relieved by his warm welcome. He pulled slightly away to watch her face intently, confusion etching his expression. "How come you're up here?" then he smiled brightly again, turning to face his grandmother, "Does that mean she's free now?"

The look of complete panic on Snow's face should have made Regina laugh out loud, but she was fully aware that her son, the reason she was trying to be better in the first place, was standing right in front of her, smiling and _accepting_ her for what it felt like the first time in years. "It's complicated, Henry," she smiled, and hesitantly brought her hand to brush at his hair.

"Let's say it's a trial, kid," Emma winked at him and eyed Regina with soft green eyes, ignoring the look on Snow's face.

"Like probation?" he looked between his mothers, earning a chuckle from them. It was Emma who nodded, and locked her gaze with Regina, whose eyes still glistened with unshed tears.

"You could say that, yeah," the blonde purposefully avoided looking at Snow, seeing as they hadn't even discussed anything like that yet, but she was secretly proud of Henry for bringing it up in a way that gave her little choice but to go along with it.

Seemingly happy with the explanation, he sat next to Regina, looking at her expectantly, "Mom, you have to see me riding a horse! And sword fighting! Grandpa says I'm a natural," he smiled, proud of himself, right before they heard David's voice calling him back, "Can you come and watch?"

Snow opened her mouth to say something, but Emma beat her to it, "Sure she can," she grinned, "You show her the way and I'll be right behind you guys."

Henry did not think twice before taking his mother's hand and almost dragging her closer to the knights. Regina glanced at Emma, confusion and amusement evident in her eyes, and the woman just nodded at her, signalling she would be there with them in a second.

Seeing her son's retreating form, babbling nonstop to Regina, Emma couldn't help the smile on her face. And then she heard Snow clearing her throat, and gulped loudly, slowly turning her head to the woman.

"We need to talk."


	13. Chapter 12 - The Guide

**Disclaimer: **Once Upon a Time, Storybrooke and any recognizable characters are property of ABC Studios and the Walt Disney Co. No copyright infringement intended.

**A/N:** I went on a crazy writing spree a few days ago and now realized I've got something like the next four chapters all written. So I thought I'd come and leave you guys with one more chapter, ahead of time! Hope you enjoy!

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**Chapter 12 - The Guide**

Regina still could not quite believe how radiant Henry was to have her with him. As they made their way to the knights, he would not stop talking about his lessons, and would eventually tug on her hand to point at something and then proceed to explain it. He became quieter, though, as they got closer, and, when she looked up from him, she understood why. David was looking at them, and did not seem happy.

"Regina? What are you…?

"She's on probation!" Henry's voice was so excited that she ignored David's presence for one more moment, and smiled at the boy. And then she noticed his frown as he looked from her to his grandfather, "Wait, if you're the king, shouldn't you be the one to decide that? So why do you look so confused?"

To his credit, the man's expression did change into a soft smile as he looked down at his grandson. "It is probably something Snow will inform me of later. You know how she is," he winked at Henry and gave Regina a look that informed her that this conversation was far from finished. "Now come on, let's continue."

Regina did not fight the urge to roll her eyes, and made a point in doing so while David was still looking.

After both of them focused their attention back to the lessons, she focused hers on Emma and Snow for a moment, a smirk appearing on her lips at the way they were both gesticulating wildly. It seemed like mother and daughter were having an interesting conversation.

* * *

"Emma, this was not what we discussed earlier," Snow put her hand through her hair, sighing as she looked at her daughter. She wasn't angry, but she was taken aback by the way things had happened. During lunch, they had talked and decided it would be good for Regina to go outside and take a walk, but nothing more than that.

"No, because you wouldn't even let me talk about this!" Emma answered, exasperated. "Did you even see her just now? Because I'm having a hard time believing I am the only one who can see this is clearly not the same Regina who cursed everyone out of here."

"Of course I see it, Emma," Snow smiled sadly, taking one step closer and reaching for her hands, "I mean, just the fact that she actually _healed_ you says more than anything else you can say. I'm just…" she lowered her head, "I've been wrong on my judgment so many times before, and so many people got hurt because of it. Including Regina," she looked back up, "I need to do right by you. And in the slight chance that she is lying, and she takes Henry and goes…"

"She won't," Emma replied, facing her mother with a small smile, and gently tugging on her hands, "I mean, look at them," they turned and the blonde's eyes immediately found Regina's looking back at her, and her smile widened, "She could've taken him now. She could've done some magic on me when she was teaching me. Even on our way here. Or she could have used the moment I got hurt to get away, but she ran _towards _me to make sure I was ok," she argued, and looked at the younger brunette's eyes once more. "It's ok that you don't trust your judgment, and considering your history with her, I understand why you are so scared of giving her another chance, I do. But trust _me_. Please."

The queen let out a deep sigh and looked down, gently shaking her head, and then back up at Emma. "I will talk to David, ok? I can't just make this decision on my own, he should have a say in it, too."

This was as good as a yes for the blonde, who actually jumped in excitement. "Yes, this is more than ok. And you will tell him what I told you, right? Will you try to get him to agree?"

"We'll see how it goes," she did not want to make any promises, but the look of absolute joy on her daughter's face right now was almost enough to make her agree to anything. To know that she was the cause of that happiness. It was all she ever wanted to do.

"Thank you," and it was so heartfelt, so honest, that it made a single tear fall from Snow's eye as she nodded. And then, in a completely uncharacteristic move for Emma lately, she hugged her mother. Snow could only wrap her arms tightly around her, enjoying the contact while it lasted. It seemed too soon when Emma let go, but she knew that, after twenty-eight years away, it would always seem too soon. It was ok, because at least they were all together now. And there was no way she was doing anything to drive her away.

* * *

Regina's attention was now focused solely on Henry, in the way he moved, and reacted to the things he was shown. She was in awe at seeing this other side of her son, but at the same time it pained her that this was his world now. A world of wars, allegiances, kingdoms and knights. A medieval world, really. She wondered if he ever missed it. School, his comics, the mansion, his room. The thought made her close her eyes and sigh heavily.

"A lot on your mind?" Emma's gentle voice came from behind her, her footsteps slowly getting closer until she finally stood next to Regina and looked at her with a serene expression on her face.

"You could say that," the brunette replied, before gesturing back to where Snow was, "So… are you grounded?"

The blonde laughed, incredibly happy at Regina's light teasing. When it died down, it turned into a smile, "She's going to talk to David about your situation, tonight, and they'll let us know."

"I should have known," she smirked, "there was no probation at all, was there?" she looked at Emma, strangely proud of the woman – and their son – for the way they'd played Snow.

"Well, there will be now," Emma spoke, her expression matching Regina's. "I mean, you did save the princess' life," she shrugged.

"If the princess is so incredibly fragile that she can die from a scrape on her arm, then yes, I did," she teased, but the other's expression turned a bit more serious.

"Don't belittle this, Regina," she took one step to her side so that their shoulders were touching, "What you did was pretty amazing, you know that, right?"

"I'm still trying to understand what I did."

"You made the choice to be good," she explained, as if it was that simple, "You used your magic for something completely selfless."

Regina had to chuckle at that. "Don't be so sure." It was true. The moment she saw Emma hurt, she felt something she wasn't sure how to explain. It made _her_ uneasy, so really, making sure Emma was ok ended up being something completely selfish, considering how relieved she felt after healing her. But she was not about to admit that. So she smirked once more. "Maybe I really wanted that probation."

Emma saw right through her, but played along, bringing her hand to her chest in a dramatic gesture, "And here I thought I was special."

"Don't flatter yourself, dear."

They both fell into a comfortable silence as they turned to watch their son, who chose that moment to look and, with a big smile at seeing both his moms, waved at them.

* * *

They both saw it when Snow approached David and they walked away, leaving Henry to practice with someone else, and Emma tensed slightly, knowing that a lot depended on that conversation.

Following her line of sight, Regina observed the two as well, soon choosing to turn her attention back at the boy. There was no point in stressing now.

"If they send you back there," Emma started, looking at Regina, "I'll stay there with you," she said without hesitation.

It was enough to soften the brunette's features. She really wanted to say that this was ridiculous and that Emma needed to stop doing these things and just be free and live her life and stop worrying so much about her. Only she knew she didn't mean any of that, because at this point, she had grown so used to having the annoying blonde around that she was not about to say she should leave her be. It was selfish, yes, but Regina was pretty sure she was doing enough good lately that it warranted her that bit of selfishness. So she just nodded, quietly.

It wasn't long until the boy came running towards them. "Did you see me? Do you think I'm good?" he asked and grinned widely when both his mothers nodded in agreement.

"Do you enjoy yourself when you're doing that, Henry?" Regina smiled, wanting to test the waters, to make sure her son was really doing what he wanted, and not simply what he thought he was expected to do.

He nodded and looked at her, "It's much cooler than learning Math!"

That earned a chuckle from both women, and Emma reached to ruffle the kid's hair as they walked back to the gardens. "Mom?" he looked up at Regina after a few minutes of silence. "Is it true that you're teaching Emma how to do magic?"

"Yes," Regina answered carefully, knowing what her son thought of her doing any kind of magic, "But only because she asked me." She grinned upon seeing the disbelief on Emma's face, and shrugged. "What? You practically _begged_ me, Ms. Swan."

"Why did you ask her?" he turned his head from one to the other, and they weren't sure if he was upset or simply curious.

"You've seen it, Henry," Emma sighed, "I was hurting people, and I needed to learn how to control it." Both mother and son scoffed at the same time, causing them to laugh quietly and Emma to roll her eyes. Even Regina knew how absurd it was, the notion that the Evil Queen was the best person to teach anyone about control, so she couldn't even resent Henry for agreeing with something she had said herself. "What? It's true! I didn't want Blue to teach me because, seriously… you both know my powers are closer to Regina's than the fairies'."

"So you're using dark magic?" Henry looked at her, suddenly tensing.

It was Regina who immediately lowered herself so that she was on his level. "No, Henry," she spoke firmly, "Emma is practically made of the purest form of magic there is, she can't access the same kind of darkness that I have, she probably couldn't even if she wanted to, ok? So you don't have to worry about that. Ever."

Emma couldn't help the feeling that Regina's words were meant to reassure her more than their son, and she was incredibly grateful for that. So she felt like she should say something too. Lowering herself so that she matched Regina's position in front of the boy, she smiled at him. "No one here is using dark magic anymore. It's just that… Regina here understands better what it's like to be angry and a bit scared sometimes. Did you notice how the fairies seem always happy and at peace? Do you really think that's anything like me?" she asked him with a smile.

He was quick to shake his head. "Not really, you're moody sometimes. And you don't always let me do whatever I want like Nova does."

It was Regina's turn to be taken aback, and she looked at the blonde in surprise. Emma looked back at her with a shrug. "What? Since you weren't around, I thought you would appreciate it if the kid still had _some _discipline. I don't want him to become a spoiled prince, either."

"I'm glad we're starting to agree on this," she rolled her eyes, but Emma could see a small smile she was trying to hide.

"Yes, that's really great for everyone," he rolled his eyes, making his birth mother laugh at how he was every bit Regina's son when he did that. "But are you ok, mom? Using magic again?"

"I am," she assured him, "I am teaching Emma, but I am also learning things myself," she smiled and slowly reached out to cup his face, "I am learning to access my magic from a lighter place, so it's not dangerous like before."

"And you don't want to hurt anyone now?" he asked, still unsure.

"Sometimes I do, Henry," she knew better than to lie to him again, and, more than she wanted for him to be proud of her, she wanted him to be able to accept the parts of her that probably would never change. "But I am fighting it, every day. Because I truly want to be better."

He smiled at her like he used to do when he was much younger, back when it was just the two of them and she was his entire world. "I know you do. And I believe in you." He threw himself in her waiting arms for the second time that day, and, also for the second time, she couldn't help the tears that fell from her eyes. Looking to the side, she saw Emma watching the scene with nothing but happiness.

Those were the two people who had told her, openly, that they believed in her. That they believed she was more than just an Evil Queen, and that she could find the person she used to be. More than that, they had been _showing_ that they believed.

"Hey kid," Emma suddenly spoke, causing the other two to break apart and Henry to look at her, "Wanna see something really cool?"

The moment she said this, Regina knew there was no way this was going to work. She had a pretty good idea that Emma was going to attempt something with her magic, and part of her was actually curious to see how things would turn out. When she saw the younger woman focusing, and nothing happening, she smirked, amused by the scene.

Emma was starting to get frustrated. It seemed that even a small thing like getting her own clothes cleaned from all the dirt was too much for her still growing abilities. But then she saw the look of absolute enjoyment on Regina's face. _Oh, I am so doing this._

It actually helped her focus. She calmed herself down, finding that peace that she needed in order to maintain control over her powers. And then she looked at Regina again, with a smirk of her own. It happened so quickly that Henry was laughing before the brunette even registered what was going on. And then she looked at herself and saw the _horrid_ and _pink_ princess-like puffy dress that she was wearing.

"Are you kidding me, Ms. Swan?" she snapped her fingers and was soon wearing a black pencil skirt and a white shirt. And then she wondered why she hadn't thought to magically change from her dirty dress the second she got a chance.

And Henry saw it, the look on Regina's face as she so naturally changed outfits. It was nothing like before. She was perfectly calm, she wasn't angry, and he then understood what she meant a few minutes ago. Maybe her problem really wasn't with magic itself, but with where the magic came from. He wasn't sure. But, either way, he had a feeling that he should trust both his mothers to keep each other in check, and that, together, they would find some sort of balance.

He then observed Emma trying to focus once again, and stifled a laugh when nothing happened.

"Honestly, Emma," Regina rolled her eyes, and missed the look on her son's face at the first name that rolled so easily out of her tongue now, "I see your biggest motivation for getting it right is to make me look like an idiot, otherwise it doesn't work," despite the words, she smiled as she got closer to the woman, and took both her hands with ease. "Go on, close your eyes."

With Regina's magical help, it was easy for Emma to envision the clothes she wanted, and make it happen. "Thanks," she said, blushing a little as she retreated her hands, remembering Henry was there. And the kid was looking intently.

"Is that how you help her?" he turned to Regina, "You use your magic to keep her calm?"

She smiled, because of course he would think the exact same thing Emma did when it first happened. "Not really," she started, her voice soft as she tried to explain, "When I take her hand, it's more to… guide her through it. So she doesn't have to do it alone."

The choice of words surprised Emma, and she suddenly felt safer than she had in a long time, and found herself hoping, for some reason, that the brunette felt the same way.

"Did you have to do it alone, when you learned?"

She did not expect the question, but two curious sets of eyes were already waiting for her reply. "Yes," she replied sadly, "But I was taught differently. Very differently."

Neither had to ask anything else to know that there was no chance the way she was taught was good, or pleasant. Henry frowned. "I wish you'd had a good teacher. Like you're being to Emma. I think you wouldn't have been so angry."

Emotion immediately overwhelmed her, because, for once, he seemed to really get it. That she hadn't done the things she did because she woke up one day and decided it was fun to be evil – although, if she was honest, at some point she truly felt that way – but because _someone_ molded her into the person she had become. She let him, sure. She was not strong enough to fight the hold he seemed to have on her, but Henry could see that it was so much more complicated than the way he once made himself believe it was.

And she saw it in Emma, that anger, the need to use it to channel her magic, simply because no one ever told you there was another way. She flinched at the mere thought that Emma could've been anything like her if she hadn't asked for help as soon as she realized she had magic. It brought a genuine smile to her face, that she could see she was actually helping, and the changes were already visible.

"Don't worry about that, Henry," she spoke softly, "It's in the past, and it's different now, right?"

He nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, because now you've got us!"

"Exactly," she winked at him, glancing at Emma after doing so, to make sure she knew she was included in the moment.

When they approached the road by which Emma had her accident, Regina watched carefully on the direction the horse came from. She could see the stables not too far away, and, now that she was sure Emma was ok, she needed to know what was really going on. But there was no way she would leave them alone out there.

"It's getting dark," she spoke casually, but as soon as the words left her lips, she realized she had no idea of what was expected of her now. Emma had mentioned her parents discussing the subject, but what was she supposed to do until they said something?

Emma was having the same problem. She'd started to make her way inside, but didn't even take the first step before she hesitated. Finally, deciding that it was ridiculous for the three of them to stay out there in the dark, she held her head up and marched back into the castle. And if anyone had any problem with this, well, she was the freaking princess, and she'd be damned if she wouldn't play that card to keep Regina away from that cell for as long as she possibly could.

She smiled when she saw Regina taking Henry's hand and following her with the same confident look on her face. Not that she expected any less from the woman.


End file.
